The Ladies Or The Loot
by ericchri
Summary: Kiyone's past leads to trouble for Tenchi and the girls. Can they solve their troubles at home in time to face the troubles approaching them from abroad?
1. Prologue: All In A Day's Work

For starters: 

Tenchi Masaki and the other characters from Tenchi Muyo, etc... aren't my characters. I'm just using them for my own fun.

This story is essentially based in the OVA continuity, bringing Kiyone in as a former partner of Mihoshi's. It doesn't take much from GXP or the new OVA3 into account as I started writing it before I had any knowledge of those, but I did end up including a few small things that I learned about in the interim.

--

Prologue: All In a Day's Work

The heavyset Galaxy Police officer sat behind a large wooden desk, one hand stroking the dark mustache on his face as his eyes scanned through the report in his other hand. After reading the last page, he handed the report to the other officer sitting in one of the chairs across from his desk. Then he turned his gaze on the detective seated in the last chair.

"Excellent work Detective Makibi. We couldn't have done it without your amazing efforts. How did you know that Luigi Rudolpho was going to be in that warehouse with the drugs and the cash?"

First Class Detective Kiyone Makibi of the Galaxy Police sat trying to keep the smile off of her face as she received her final debriefing. She knew she was one of the best field detectives in the force, but it had required a team effort to pull off her undercover operation as a drug dealer. Since she was facing not only her direct superior Section Chief Sakai, but also one of his superiors, Deputy Commander Watanabe, Kiyone did her best to keep any smugness out of her voice as she answered.

"It was nothing, sirs. Just doing my duty. The whole team spent a lot of time building my cover as a drug dealer. With that done it was just good fortune that Rudolpho lost his normal dealer and had to turn to me at the last minute. It was a scramble to set things up when he let me know where he wanted to meet. We managed to pull it off, though."

"Well, even so, great work detective. I smell a Sergeant Detective in the works, if I'm not mistaken. But you didn't hear that from me." Watanabe winked at Kiyone, making sure she understood.

"Thank you sir," Kiyone answered. As she watched his hand go back to stroking his mustache, Kiyone wondered if Watanabe thought it made him look intelligent. She put those thoughts aside she glanced at Sakai. He was also short and dark-haired, just like Watanabe, but without the mustache and still relatively fit.

"Yes, well done, detective." Sakai also smiled.

"Thank you sirs!"

Kiyone was playing the dutiful officer as best she could. She had to keep reminding herself she needed to be deferential as she waited patiently for the debriefing to end. It was just part of the job, sometimes you had to suck it up and take it. Some days were just harder than others. Sakai was not her superior from before the undercover assignment. She had hoped to return to duty underneath Section Chief Nobeyama after the assignment, but he was on vacation due to 'office-induced stress.' Sakai was temporarily acting as her commanding officer.

Watanabe nodded his approval. "Well then, have you given any thought to what you'd like to do now that the assignment is over? You've been on the job for what, over 3 years now? A few years devoted to one case, that's quite the dedication!"

Watanabe and Sakai glanced at each other, both obviously curious about what her response was going to be, and both thought they knew the answer. After an assignment like that, anyone would ask for a long vacation, of course.

Kiyone answered, "Well, sirs, if you don't mind, I'd just as soon get back on active duty. Patrolling the space lanes, protecting the public, I've never been one to just sit around doing nothing. It would be nice to see some normal duty again."

She could see the dumbfounded looks on both of their faces and again had to stifle her annoyance towards these two. Nobeyama wouldn't have been surprised by that request. He knew how important her career was to her. She was getting a vibe off of them she didn't like either. It was similar to what she'd gotten off of most of the scum she'd had to deal with during her undercover assignment.

Sakai was trying to catch Watanabe's eyes as the Deputy Commander answered, "Hmmm. You caught us by surprise with that request. We'll have to glance at the duty rosters and see where we might be able to fit you back into the rotation. Excuse us for a bit. Find someplace to relax and make yourself comfortable. We'll send for you when we've come up with something. Dismissed!"

Kiyone snapped to her feet and saluted the two officers before she left. She looked around outside the office, trying to get her bearings as she considered where to go to kill time while she waited. After deciding on the nearest cafeteria, Kiyone headed off to contemplate her future.

--

Sakai closed the door behind Kiyone, and sat back down to give worried looks to the Deputy Commander. They didn't immediately check with the secretarial staff as might have been expected of people who needed to read a report. He watched the commander's hand move to his mustache like usual, but his nerves finally got to him.

"We've got to do something about this sir. She just arrested Rudolpho's son, and you know what that's going to mean down the road, don't you?"

Watanabe closed his eyes and sighed. "Retribution." The section chief was in a near panic as usual. The man was a good lapdog, but tended to panic under severe stress. He'd been very useful to Watanabe during his climb through the ranks, though. "Settle down, Sakai. This bust went down way ahead of schedule, so I haven't had time to come up with any good ideas yet. I expected her to take a vacation afterwards, too. What is she, some kind of machine? Everyone takes vacations, especially after an assignment as tough as what she just had." The older officer sighed as he thought the problem over, "All right, I'm willing to take suggestions."

Watanabe almost never asked for advice from the Section Chief. Sakai just couldn't think creatively even though he followed orders well. Still, Watanabe knew he'd need Sakai as a Senior Section Chief at the least some day if he was going to go as far as he wanted. Not surprisingly, the personnel serving under Nobeyama generally performed better in their duties than Sakai's. He had managed to drag Sakai along so far, but moving up the ranks got harder with every step. Another promotion for Sakai would be a hard sell with Nobeyama as an alternative.

Sakai nervously asked, "Can we just have her killed? I'm sure we could find some assassin locked up that would agree to it if we fabricated something to get him sprung."

Watanabe's eyes widened in surprise. That was a novel idea, coming from the Section Chief. Then he hit on the missing piece in the Section Chief's idea. "Hmmm... Think about it for a second. That eliminates one of Nobeyama's officers, but it doesn't really set him back much, and doesn't help with the Rudolphos. Think bigger. Instead of getting some thug to do it, we leak the identities of Makibi's team to the Rudolphos and let them handle it. It keeps them off our back for not preventing Luigi's arrest, and it gets rid of a whole team of Nobeyama's best officers."

Sakai chewed on the suggestion momentarily, then went with his stock answer for these situations. "I like it sir! What do we do with Makibi in the meantime? She technically shouldn't be put back in the line of fire til after she's testified."

Just then one of the GP secretaries knocked on the door, waited the prerequisite five seconds, and then entered the office. The two officers composed themselves, and turned to the new entrant. Watanabe was about to yell at them to "get the hell out of my office" when he realized who it was. He calmed himself by taking a deep breath, and put on his best smile.

Ms. Sakumi had been working in the office for only a short time, but every unmarried man in the department had been trying to figure out how to convince the beautiful secretary to go out with them. Brushing back her aquamarine hair, Ms. Sakumi addressed Watanabe. "Sir, we have a fairly hefty bill that just arrived. I believe you're responsible for approving these expenses."

She bent forward to place the form on his desk, unwittingly showing the Deputy Commander more of her impressive bosom than she had intended. She then straightened to await his signature. Sakai was ogling her long legs from the side, which irked Watanabe a little bit, but neither Ms. Sakumi nor Sakai seemed to notice anything.

He glanced at the form, trying to fathom what it was for. Then he saw the name of the Detective involved. Like a lightning bolt to the head, Watanabe suddenly knew what to do about his problem. He smiled as he signed his name on the form and handed it back to Ms. Sakumi. He made sure their hands touched in the transfer, and he gave her his most charming smile.

"Thank you Ms. Sakumi, is that all?"

She took the form from him, and turned towards the door, noticing Sakai in the process. She grimaced slightly, but started walking briskly towards the door. She called back over her shoulder, "No, this was the only thing, Sir. Thank you."

Both men watched Ms. Sakumi retreating from the room, not noticing the haste with which she did so. The Deputy Commander felt himself getting warmer just looking at her moving figure. After the door closed, Watanabe sighed as she had obviously again missed the signs in his smile.

He turned to Sakai as a feeling of euphoria came over him. He'd known that resisting all of Nobeyama's plans to bring Mihoshi Kuramitsu back to Central Command was a good idea. He couldn't afford for Nobeyama to get in good with the Marshal and keeping the accident-prone detective out in the field seemed like the only way to hurt her usual section chief.

As an evil smile appeared on his face, Watanabe said, "It's perfect! I know exactly what we're going to do."

Sakai looked back at his commanding officer hopefully, waiting for him to spill it out. You couldn't pry anything out of Watanabe, he shared information at his own pace. It was a trait which had not won him any admirers with most of the people who'd served under him in the past. Sakai had learned to live with it, since his own fortunes had become tied to the Deputy Commander's fortunes a while back.

Watanabe finally spoke, "First Class Detective Mihoshi Kuramitsu, currently serving without a partner in the restricted Special Protected Zone of the Solar System. It's Jurai space! Not only that, it's the most out of the way place possible, nothing happens there. Nobody can argue the logic of letting Makibi serve active duty in a place like that. She should technically be invisible, and the Romartan syndicates wouldn't normally attempt anything in Jurai space. Oh, I just love it when I get these brilliant ideas." The Deputy Commander laughed evilly at his plan's wicked simplicity.

Sakai sat and listened to Watanabe's speech. It sounded like a good plan, but something was tickling the back of his mind. Something he couldn't quite grasp. Not coming up with anything, he again voiced his agreement, "I like it sir."

"Well then, I guess we should give the Detective her next 'important' assignment, shouldn't we?" Watanabe punched the button to buzz the secretarial pool. "Ms. Sakumi? Could you get Detective Makibi back in here, please? Thank you."

--

Kiyone had spent her break considering what she might like to do once she got back on active duty. She expected to have to spend a lot of time explaining how she had been undercover to her parents, especially her mother. All this time she had been listed as 'missing, presumed dead' in the official reports. She thought she might request assignment a little closer to home to make up for it.

Now that was a conversation she wasn't looking forward to. Her mother got so emotional over little things that Kiyone couldn't imagine what her reaction might be when she found out her daughter was actually alive after all this time. It had been tough for her to put her family through this, but she knew that it had been necessary. The outfit she'd been trying to crack had significant resources at its disposal, and they might have been able to figure out who she was, if she hadn't been listed as dead.

Just then she got the summons to return for her debriefing. She pushed her chair back up to the cafeteria table and walked back to the lift that would return her to Watanabe's floor.

Kiyone knocked on the Deputy Commander's door when she arrived and after receiving approval, entered the room. Watanabe nodded towards the empty chair, so she sat down with her back straight at attention.

As before, Watanabe did most of the talking. "Well, Detective, I think we've found the perfect assignment for you. It's one worthy of someone with your exemplary service record. We have a First Class Detective serving by herself on a Top Secret mission in a Special Protected Zone of Juraian space. We'd like you to join her there to support her on that mission. What do you think?"

Kiyone felt herself falling back into the old routine, getting the details up front. "Well sir, I guess if you think that's best, then I'll take it. It sounds a little more interesting than cruising around in space waiting for criminals to appear. Who's my new partner, and when do I start?"

Watanabe realized he hadn't let Sakai in on his plan to not reveal Mihoshi's identity as the new partner. Makibi might object, Mihoshi's reputation was pretty well-known. He quickly spoke up, "Ah, actually, Section Chief Sakai must not have read the full details of the report, he never mentioned who was assigned there. He did say it was a First Class Detective, though, so they should be fully qualified. And you can start right away actually, the sooner the better. I can have the Section Chief arrange a transport to take you there, if you'd like? The on-duty detective already has a cruiser, so I'm afraid we won't be able to assign you one of your own for now."

Sakai gave his commander strange looks, but he'd learned not to argue with Watanabe. He'd only done it once, and had almost seen his promotion to Section Chief wiped out as he tried out his new power. He'd learned a lesson from that little fiasco: Only flaunt your power with the lower ranks and always agree with the superiors.

Kiyone answered Watanabe's question, "That would be fine sir, I'd appreciate that. A GP cruiser will be welcome after some of the accommodations and ships I've been in recently. The budget for our operation was stretched pretty thin, considering we had to make a show of having enough money to be drug dealers. Behind closed doors, we only had the bare necessities to keep the operation running."

Sakai stood to leave the room as he saw Detective Kiyone nodding her head. With Watanabe's approval he disappeared. Once he was gone, Watanabe had another flash of inspiration. He barely managed to stifle the chuckle that tried to escape.

"Well, Detective, that's a very good attitude you've got there. You'll go far in the GP, mark my words. Now, as to some of the details of the assignment, which I'm sure you're no doubt interested in, why don't I leave that to the Detective already on duty. We'll send her a communication with the details of your new assignment, and let her fill you in with more information than we could possibly give you here. One thing, though, the stationed Detective will be left in charge since this was their assignment to start with. They'll have the final say when it comes to operating decisions."

Kiyone wasn't thrilled with the arrangement, but then, working for the GP was rarely fair to her. She'd gotten held back from her full potential ever since she joined. Top marks in her class at the academy hadn't helped her out once she was on active duty. "All right sir, I can understand that. They've got all the information relating to the assignment, so they'll be in a better position to judge what needs to be done."

Watanabe just smiled and leaned back in his chair. "Good, now we'll need you to sign this transfer document, so everything is official."

Watanabe pushed the paper across his desk to Kiyone, who leaned forward and scrawled a hasty signature on it. As she sat back again, he continued, "Well, then, if there's nothing else, I guess I'll let you start packing. That is... assuming you ever unpacked? I'll have the Section Chief leave the flight details with Ms. Sakumi, one of the secretaries. You can pick up your information from her when you're ready."

Kiyone stood up and saluted Watanabe, holding down her nervous feelings. It felt good to have a new assignment, finally, after all this time. Even if it turned out to be boring, at least she would be back doing the work she was trained to do. Acting like a drug dealer had been tough, and not really in her nature.

"Yes sir. Thank you sir."

Watanabe watched her leave, regretting he had to ruin the career of a good-looking officer like her. That thought motivated him to immediately turn in Detective Makibi's transfer document instead of just filing it in his out box. It was the perfect excuse to go flirt with Ms. Sakumi some more in hopes she would finally catch on to his advances.

Kiyone left the debriefing room and headed for the lockers, wondering where it was she was going to be serving and whom she would be working with. Her time with one of her former partners, Mihoshi Kuramitsu, had been a lesson in frustration. Mihoshi had been very competent, a good officer really, but prone to excitement under pressure. She had also struggled with organization, tending to pile things everywhere, which irritated an orderly person like Kiyone.

Together they'd accumulated an extremely high arrest record, earning Kiyone a promotion to First Class Detective. Mihoshi's occasional 'accidents' had caused their expenses to spiral out of control, however. Kiyone had come to realize that she might not get the next promotion she wanted after working with Mihoshi for a while. Arrests only went so far, you had to be efficient in all aspects of the job. Their budget crisis had probably prevented them both from making Sergeant Detective by now.

She glanced in a mirror, noting the changes. She was relieved to finally let her natural hair color and style reappear. The black dye had always managed to leave her scalp a little itchy, and it had been constantly falling in her eyes in its previous shaggy arrangement. Combing it back straight was a relief, and the orange headband felt strange but comforting as well.

She had jumped at the chance to do a serious undercover assignment, even if the methods had been a little extreme. The chances for promotion were huge if it had gone well. There had been one major drawback for Kiyone, however. It had galled her that the official reports read that she'd been killed by a pathetic slug like 'Big Tony' Cervantes. The Romartan criminal had been nothing more than a street thug trying to run a protection racket all by himself on a planet in hers and Mihoshi's assigned sector of space.

She was a little hopeful, after her conversation with the two officers. She couldn't shake that slimy feeling she got from the two, but they'd seemed to be impressed by her work. Watanabe had even hinted that she might be up for promotion after that assignment. With this top-secret assignment, she would almost be assured of that promotion, and it might even get her on track for more special assignments if it was important enough.

Since her things were still packed away neatly, she grabbed them and headed off to the secretarial pool to find this Ms. Sakumi and get started on her future. Things were looking up...

--

Grace Sakumi glanced up as the GP officer, a first-class detective by the looks of her uniform, walked up to her desk. She noticed the trim figure and alert stance of the officer, the teal hair framing a pretty face. The orange headband, however, brought a rush of childhood memories back to her, and she jumped to her feet to greet the newcomer.

"Kiyone? Kiyone Makibi? Is that you?" asked Grace.

Seeing the blink of surprise from the officer, Grace looked carefully to make sure it was her. She looked older now, hardened certainly, but there was no doubt it was her.

"Kiyone, it's me, Grace Sakumi. You dated my brother in high school, remember?"

Kiyone looked at the secretary carefully, and recognition slowly came to her. The woman before her certainly wasn't the skinny girl she remembered, but with the name to go with the face, it was easy to recognize her.

"Grace? Wow, it's... good to see you after all this time. How've you been?"

"Ah, fine I suppose. Come on, let's not talk here, let's go get a cup of coffee in the cafeteria so we can sit and chat."

Kiyone followed the quick moving Grace Sakumi out and down to the cafeteria, noticing a few of the men's heads turn to watch the unquestionably beautiful secretary as she walked along the hall. It would have been interesting to see who turned more heads between Grace and her old partner Mihoshi. Apparently Grace ignored the admirers just like Mihoshi always had.

Grace hurried over to get two cups of coffee from the goggle-eyed vendor, paying for them before Kiyone had a chance to try and pay for her own. As she sat down at the table Grace chose, Kiyone offered a bemused "Thanks."

"What? Oh, that's nothing compared to what you did for me growing up. I've still got a long ways to go to make up for that. Have you ever seen Courage since school?"

Kiyone shook her head. "No, I haven't. What's he doing now? If my last memories of him are any indication, he probably wouldn't want to meet me now, he'd get himself arrested."

Grace laughed. "My brother was a rascal, wasn't he? Courage and Grace, Dad probably didn't get either of our names right. I think he's currently staying out of trouble, but if he's not careful he's gonna end up like dad. I always wondered why you went out with him."

Kiyone thought back a bit, uncomfortable having this conversation with someone she'd never known all that well. Grace was a friend of sorts from her younger days, so she finally answered, "He was cute, you know that. We were all stupid back then, looks meant more than anything else. I sure regretted it afterwards, but at the time he seemed like he'd be fun. All the other girls were jealous, at least for a little while. You've certainly grown up, how'd you end up here, any way?"

Grace colored a little bit, then smiled sheepishly. "I followed you, of course. I didn't go to the academy like you, but I wanted to do something to try and follow in your footsteps. I might not be the one actually catching the criminals, but I'm helping in my own way."

Kiyone couldn't contain her surprise, so she was forced to close her mouth again. "You followed me to GP? Really? I wish I'd known, I'd have tried to look for you sooner, uh, well, I guess I've been out of touch for a few years. Undercover work, you know."

"Yeah, there's a buzz running around about someone who just pulled off a big operation against the Romartans. Was that you?"

Kiyone laughed as she felt herself blushing. "Yeah, I suppose that was me, though I certainly had some help. But it came out much better than we expected, and a lot sooner, too. Now I'm off to who-knows-where, to meet my new partner. That reminds me, I was supposed to get my transport information from you for my new assignment."

"Oh, that's what that bozo was bothering me about. Er, you didn't hear me say that, okay?"

Kiyone gave Grace a puzzled look before answering, "Don't care for the boss, then? No prob, he didn't impress me much, either."

"Thanks Kiyone. Those two are a pain for everyone in the pool. And they keep coming on to me all the time, like I'd be interested in a self-centered, arrogant jerk like the commander, or a yes-man riding the commander's coattails like Sakai. Ugh, they remind me of that slug you saved me from. I hope he's in jail now."

"You never should have been hanging out with him in the first place, you know. It was just a coincidence I was there that day. Uh, look Grace, I should really get going, can we go get my transport stuff, I'd hate to end up being late for something on my first day back."

Kiyone tried not to be too obvious about the fact that she didn't care to talk about saving the girl's life. It hadn't been a great experience for her, even though the results had been good. It was time for her to be going, any way.

"Yeah, sure, I suppose we should get going. My boss will be looking for me, I'm sure I'll end up working late to make up for this. It was great to see you Kiyone. Thanks, and keep in touch."

"Uh, yeah, I'll do that Grace. It was good to see you too."

--

Meanwhile, on a remote planet deep within the Romartan Republic...

Valentino Rudolpho, head of the largest crime syndicate in Romartan space, sank into his chair and faced his men. Until recently, he'd been relaxing with a few mistresses at a vacation home on Wasoonti since he loved the climate there. The news which had brought him back did not make him happy, and he intended to convey that to the underlings arrayed before him.

"Someone got my son Luigi arrested, and I want to know who. And then I want them dead!"

He looked at the men, and waited for a response. He had an inkling what was about to happen and he had prepped his bodyguard and assassin Marco on what he wanted done if it did happen. Sure enough, one of the younger men whom he barely even recognized was the one to speak up. He'd sensed a lack of respect in the new generation moving into the ranks, and he intended to make an example to everyone so that they remembered who they worked for.

The young man said, "We warned you it was a bad idea to try and expand our operations into Juraian space, boss. The Romartan government looks the other way, but the Juraians are harsh, and they cooperate with the GP. There's a reason why nobody's ever gotten a big organization going in their space, they don't mess around. We should've been happy to just run the largest crime syndicate in Romarta, and called it good. You got your son arrested Mr. Rudolpho, don't blame anyone else."

Valentino just paused for a few seconds after this speech, looking at his men. When he saw a few heads start nodding in agreement, he turned to Marco and nodded.

Marco Manetti was an enormous man, and he knew people frequently assumed that he would be slow and stupid. He relished opportunities like this to show them otherwise. Before anyone could react, Marco had pulled his long knife and jumped over to bury it in the heart of the man foolish enough to speak out against the boss. His victim managed only a brief move of his arms to grasp at the knife before collapsing. The rest of the men just stared in shock at the body on the floor with the knife still sticking from its chest.

A smile came to Marco's face as he watched the rest of them coming to grips with two facts: One, Mr. Rudolpho didn't tolerate anyone questioning him, and two, Marco was an extremely dangerous man. They probably should have known that already, but the boss had been letting his son Luigi run most of the business the last few years. He needed to see if his son had the knack for taking over for good some day. He'd been making suggestions of course, Luigi was still pretty green, but some of the new guys hadn't been witness to what it was like with Mr. Rudolpho running the whole show, and they were now finding out.

Valentino Rudolpho waited for everyone to calm down, and then signaled his butler. The man quietly instructed his son to remove the body while he himself started mopping up the mess on the floor. Valentino was glad that his butler's son was taking to the job since it was always risky to have to go outside and find new help for such a close position.

Some of the men moved back in horror as the process took place silently in front of them, others visibly relaxed into acceptance. Once it was done, Valentino looked out over his men. "All right, we'll try this again. I want to know who got my son arrested and where they are, and then I want them killed. Every single one of them. Understand?"

Valentino saw twenty heads, well nineteen now, nodding in approval. He smiled as he got the tingling sensation he always got when he knew he was going to do something big. Tracking down the Galaxy Police officers who'd been undercover and gotten his son arrested was no simple task, but it was all in a day's work...

--

Comments & Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	2. Chapter 1: Lessons

Chapter 1: Lessons 

It was a typical day at the small shrine located in the hills above Okayama. It was not typical for most shrines, but it was for this particular shrine. The sounds of clashing wooden swords filled the air.

(THWACK)

"Ouch! That hurt, Grandpa, you changed the pattern!" Tenchi Masaki complained as he rubbed his abused ribs.

The elder of the two combatants regarded his grandson with just a hint of a smile touching his lips. "Hmmmm. Perhaps I did Tenchi, but were you prepared for any changes? I warned you at the beginning of practice that things might be different today, didn't I? You could have blocked it if you'd been prepared instead of just assuming it was a standard move. Your opponents will not always use a standard move in a standard combination when attacking you."

Yosho looked at his grandson expectantly, waiting to see what Tenchi's answer would be. He raised one eyebrow as the silence extended for a few moments.

Holding his chest, Tenchi answered, "I'm sorry, you're right Grandpa, you did tell me that. My ribs really wish you'd told me that a little more recently." Tenchi laughed momentarily, then winced as his ribs throbbed again. "You know what Sasami's going to say to you if I come back doubled over again, don't you?"

He was disappointed in himself. He'd thought he was performing exceptionally well at his lessons today, and had hoped to finish without his usual assortment of bruises. Not only would he be sore now, but he'd thought for a moment he was finally going to land a hit on his grandfather. He did admit to himself that his real complaint wasn't his sore ribs. It was his pride stinging because he'd fallen for one of his grandfather's hidden lessons.

Yosho laughed, "I'm sure Sasami will forgive me, as long as you learn to protect yourself better. She also has an interest in you learning how to fight. She'd lose a... relative if you were to get killed."

Yosho was proud of Tenchi, but he didn't wish to make it obvious just yet. He'd come to realize lately that Tenchi had progressed so far that he couldn't just use the standard tactics any more. Yosho's speed was no longer enough, and Tenchi had overcome his previous inexperience with all of the new forms he'd been learning.

He had decided it was time to try something a little more advanced to see how Tenchi handled it. Tenchi hadn't blocked it successfully, but he had reacted to it nearly in time. Yosho knew there weren't many swordsmen out there as fast with a blade as he himself was, if any. An inferior opponent wouldn't have gotten Tenchi with that move, and likely would have gotten a killing stroke in return for his troubles.

Slapping his grandson on the shoulder, Yosho said, "Enough practice for today, Tenchi. Let's clean up and put things away. After that you can rest up before lunch. If you hurry, you might be able to sneak past the girls while they're still watching TV."

Tenchi winced at the slap, then smiled at his grandfather's last jest. His smile quickly soured though. Tenchi knew he was trying to avoid causing conflicts amongst the women living in his house, but after all this time it was getting a little ridiculous.

He picked up the practice swords and placed them in their stand. He then picked up his towel from the stump where he'd left it and mopped his face. His grandfather looked cool as usual. He couldn't understand how his grandfather could practice without breaking a sweat.   
"Grandpa?"

"Yes, Tenchi?"

"I've been thinking about the girls. Ryoko and Ayeka keep fighting over me. Washu's been good about fixing up the damage, but she keeps trying to ambush me in her lab to get a sam..., umm, well, and she's offered a few times that she'd like to have a..." Tenchi reddened at the thought he wasn't ready to tell his grandfather. He saw Yosho's eyebrow rise again in curiosity.

Tenchi hurried on, "Mihoshi's really sweet, and I realize she's a little accident prone, but I'm starting to suspect she's falling into my arms on purpose. Thank goodness for Sasami or I'd go crazy." Tenchi sighed. "She's growing up, though, the other girls are starting to get jealous whenever she gives me a hug now."

Tenchi looked at his grandfather, almost expecting to get hit by a practice sword, even though he'd put them both away already. It was the kind of thing his grandfather would do when he thought Tenchi was being childish. Surprisingly, Katsuhito only looked at him thoughtfully, not saying anything right away.

Yosho had tried to avoid any stance on the issue of the girls, but he could sense the desperation Tenchi was feeling at the moment. While he still would not do anything to sway his grandson's actions, he felt resigned to trying to get Tenchi to think about it in a more constructive manner, acting on the source of the problem instead of reacting.

"Hmmmmm, girl troubles again, Tenchi? Surely you can see each wants you to choose them."

"But that's just it, Grandpa. I can't choose any of the girls. If I choose one, the others will be hurt, and I don't want to hurt any of them."

Tenchi realized as he was saying this that not only did he not want to hurt any of the girls, he didn't want to lose any of them either. They were all his friends now. In fact, they were really his family in all but name, and he couldn't imagine his life with one of them missing. His life would be more peaceful, certainly, but not as interesting. Or as beautiful. Life had become five times more beautiful than it was before they came into it. Six times including little Ryo-Ohki.

"Have you told them this?"

Yosho watched his grandson to see how he would react to that statement. He knew Tenchi cared deeply for all the girls, even though he wouldn't admit it.

Looking to his grandfather with pleading in his eyes, Tenchi said, "No, I haven't grandpa. Do you think I should?"

"That's not my decision Tenchi, that's for you to decide. But if you're not going to choose, isn't that also a choice?" With that, Yosho turned and walked back to his office, leaving his grandson to think.

--

Sasami walked into the house after playing with Ryo-Ohki in the yard, the cabbit happily riding on her head as usual. She immediately sensed something was wrong, having experienced the feeling many times already in her new life here on Earth. She glanced around to find Ryoko, Ayeka, and Mihoshi all looking at Washu in front of the television.

"Come on Washu, get it back!" Ryoko glared at the shorter woman, who happened to look like a twelve year old girl with a huge mane of red hair. Washu looked calmly back, before answering.

"You can call me 'mother' Ryoko," Washu said.

"Yeah, right. Get over it already," spat Ryoko.

Sasami could sense a fight brewing, and wished Tenchi were here to settle things down. Unfortunately, he was practicing his swordsmanship with Yosho at the moment.

"Ryoko..." Sasami barely got the word out before Ayeka started talking, obviously not noticing Sasami.

"Yes, Washu, I must request that you fix the TV now. We were watching that soap opera, and you interrupted it just before the doctor and his nurse got a chance to express their feelings for each other. You really must get it back."

"Sister, please..." Sasami cringed.

Washu waved a finger at Ayeka, and said "Little Washu, or I won't fix a thing."

With the tears evident in her eyes, Mihoshi begged, "Pleeeeease, Little Washu."

Taking a deep breath, Sasami threw herself in front of them, and addressed the four older women. "Now, ladies, you know Tenchi doesn't like it when you fight. He still hasn't gotten that window in back fixed from the last fight." Sasami gave Ryoko and Ayeka a hard look, and she saw them flinch slightly. "It's bad enough when it's only you two, but now the two of you have to get involved, also?" She turned to Washu and Mihoshi and saw them start as well. "What's going on and how do we fix it, without breaking anything else of Tenchi's or his father's?"

Under Sasami's gaze, Ryoko said, "Well, we were watching the show when suddenly Washu shows up and hijacks the TV. The TV suddenly goes wacko and starts showing a bunch of birds flying around in a forest right when they were about to admit their love for each other. We need to see what was going to happen, 'Mother'."

Sasami held her hands up and Ryoko settled down. She turned to Washu. "And what do you have to say in your defense, Washu?"

Washu eyed her for a second, obviously about to argue the point of whether she needed to provide a defense or not, but relented under Sasami's look.

"Well, obviously I'm conducting an experiment. I patched into some satellites from the thirteenth planet in the Querasu system, to see if I could hijack their signals and learn anything about the new element they've been claiming to have discovered. Their signal was relatively compatible with the television signals they use here on earth, so instead of building myself a receiver and hooking it into one of my terminals, I just routed it into the television set."

Sasami had heard enough, so she announced her decision. "Washu, I know you believe it was important, but you know you shouldn't be doing anything to the television set. It's not yours, it's Father's. Please put it back to the way it was."

Washu looked at her for a moment, then nodded and materialized one of her keyboards. She clicked a few keys, and they all turned to the television in time to see a small device disappear into subspace. Then, as the TV screen readjusted, they saw the closing credits running. Washu turned and walked away, muttering something quietly about young girls telling a 20,000 year old genius what to do.

The other three women just stood staring at the television with horrified looks on their faces. Sasami knew what was coming, and covered her ears just in time.

"NNNNNOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!" the three screamed in unison. Ryoko launched an energy bolt into the TV before anyone had time to think, and it exploded into thousands of pieces before their eyes. Ayeka had been powering up as well, fortunately, and got her force field raised in time to block all the fragments of the exploding television from hitting anyone.

Sasami carefully opened her eyes as she'd turned away from the exploding television and gave Ryoko a stern look.

"You know you'll have to go ask Washu to fix the TV now, don't you, Ryoko? And make it quick, before Tenchi gets back."

Sasami saw the warring emotions on Ryoko's face, anger at Washu, sorrow over the missed resolution of the TV show, and fear over how Tenchi might react, but her fear of Tenchi quickly won out and she disappeared, presumably to go ask Washu to do what needed to be done. Sasami felt a little pity for Ryoko, but it was a fitting punishment for what she'd done.

Ayeka had watched Ryoko smugly as the former space pirate struggled to resolve her debate over what to do, but at a look from Sasami the smile vanished. She knew Sasami was mad at her, having received the look before. She did the only thing possible in the situation.

"I am sincerely sorry, Sasami. I'm sure I did not have the destruction of Lord Tenchi's property in mind when this began. Please forgive me, I believe I will begin cleaning this up." And with that Princess Ayeka gave Sasami a small bow.

Sasami nodded to her sister allowing her to escape, and hoped she wouldn't harass Ryoko too much. She turned to Mihoshi who was still staring at the place where the television had been, repeating "But, but, but..."

Sasami decided that things had settled down enough that she could start cooking lunch, and Mihoshi often helped her by chopping vegetables. She was about to ask Mihoshi to go to the kitchen with her when Mihoshi's watch started beeping. Well, it looked like a watch to Sasami, though she knew it really was a Galaxy Police communicator to her ship Yukinojo. The beeping startled Mihoshi enough to get her to stop staring at the scorched floor and turn to her wrist with an "Oh, my."

Knowing Mihoshi would have to go to her ship to receive the message, Sasami headed for the kitchen to decide what she would make for lunch today.

--

Mihoshi wrung the water from her uniform as she arrived at the shuttle. She entered the cockpit, twiddling her control cube in hopes of getting a hot chocolate to sip on while receiving the message, but only managed a cup with a chocolate bar in it. Considering that good enough she opened it up and sat down to hear the message Yukinojo had signaled her about.

"Hello Detective Kuramitsu, aahh, it's good to see you again." Section Chief Sakai blinked at a dripping Mihoshi, but chose not to inquire as to the reasons.

Mihoshi jumped up to salute, looking at the screen which was now filled with the face of her current superior. "Hello, sir. First Class Detective Mihoshi reporting. Is there some kind of news?"

Section Chief Sakai tried to avoid direct contact with her as much as possible and her reports went into his scrap paper heap as often as not. He considered for a moment how to best inform Mihoshi without letting anything slip.

"Yes Mihoshi, we do have news for you. As you know, you've been serving for quite a while now without a partner. We've decided that your duties are just too important to be handled by you alone. You're of course doing an outstanding job, but we feel the need to have two officers there as well. You can't split into two, now, can you?"

Mihoshi received this information excitedly, and immediately jumped on the important facts from the news she had just received.

"No sir, of course I can't split myself into two, that would hurt."

Sakai sighed, feeling the headache he'd known he would end up with from talking to Mihoshi starting to form.

"Detective Mihoshi, as you're the senior officer on this assignment, we're leaving you in charge of the situation, but we expect you to give the new detective a full briefing on the situation there. She should be arriving shortly, she's on a shuttle right now. We'll need you to rendezvous with her in two days time in orbit around the fifth planet of the Solar System in full storming mode. We can't have those earthlings discovering you're there, can we?"

Sakai waited to see if this sunk in, and heaved a sigh of relief when it seemed she had caught the message this time.

"Let's see, new Detective, I'm in charge, meet in orbit around Jupiter in two days, storming mode. I've got it." Mihoshi prided herself on getting all the details, that's why she always filed such good reports. No one could ever accuse her of leaving anything important out of her reports. "Was there anything else, sir?"

"No, I believe that's all Detective Mihoshi. Good luck, and keep up the good work. Sakai out."

Mihoshi jumped up and saluted smartly, but he just turned off his screen. Then he sat back in his chair and smiled. This was really going to work, he could feel it....

--

Tenchi walked into the house, exhausted, aching, and holding his bruised ribs. He realized his mistake a moment too late.

"Tenchi, darling, I missed you. Why do you always have to go practice swords with Yosho, I'll teach you how to use a sword the right way up in your room..."

Tenchi tried to bat Ryoko's hands away, but his aching ribs hampered his efforts. Ryoko easily beat his defenses, and wrapped her arms around Tenchi from behind. He was trying to pry one of her arms away, when he was thrown off balance by Ayeka arriving to yank Ryoko off of him.

"I'm sure Lord Tenchi is quite capable of using a sword, in or out of his room, and he certainly wouldn't need you to teach him. My brother is a very good teacher, the best swordsman in the empire. You on the other hand are only worthy of being on the receiving end of a good sword-stroke, ahh..." Ayeka trailed off as she finally realized what Ryoko had been referring to, and what she herself had just implied as a result. Even angrier now, she just scowled at Ryoko, and then turned to look at Tenchi when she received a victorious smile from Ryoko.

"He surely doesn't need anything a brazen hussy such as yourself might imply with such words, do you Lord Tenchi? I know you'd much prefer a quiet evening of poetry or intelligent conversation to fending off Ryoko's advances." Ayeka stepped over to Tenchi, and possessively grabbed his arm.

Ryoko started to bristle, but at that moment Sasami poked her head out of the kitchen and called, "Welcome home, Tenchi." When she noticed Tenchi holding his ribs gingerly, she exclaimed "Oh, you're hurt! What happened?"

At that both Ayeka and Ryoko dropped their animosity and started fussing over Tenchi's injury. Tenchi finally managed to get free of the two, and stepped back from the girls. "I'm all right, really, I just didn't manage to block one of Grandpa's thrusts, and it got me in the ribs. It's a little sore, but a good soak will take care of that. I just want to go get cleaned up, please?"

Tenchi started walking towards the stairs to his room, but Ryoko and Ayeka quickly each grabbed an arm, obviously intending to help him walk or carry him if necessary. His feet were barely touching the ground as the two ladies rushed him up to his room and inside.

Sasami called out as they left, "Okay Tenchi, but lunch is in an hour. Don't be late." Sasami then cheerfully turned back into the kitchen. She scratched Ryo-Ohki's head as the cabbit blissfully munched a carrot in the corner, then returned to her cooking.

--

Up in his room, Tenchi was fighting to keep his clothes on as the two girls tried to lift his shirt to get a look at his injury.

"Out, out! I can do this myself, I'm not crippled. It just hurts, that's all." Tenchi fended off four hands one last time and retreated into the corner of his room, warily watching the two ladies.

Ryoko spoke first. "But Tenchi, we're just concerned about you. We want to see where you got hurt and make sure it's not serious. And of course I can massage it for you to make sure it gets better...."

Ayeka stepped in front of Ryoko, eying her, and said, "Oh, for goodness' sake. Massage a bruise, that's a brilliant idea. I'm sure Lord Tenchi would just love to have you poking and prodding him where it hurts the most to make sure it hurts even more. It's a wonder you managed to elude the authorities with a brain that works like that. I however know that what Lord Tenchi really needs is an icepack, and I'd be perfectly happy to apply it if he should desire."

Tenchi inched back as far from the two as he could get while still keeping his eyes on them both, expecting hands to start grabbing at him again any second. "No, no, I'm just fine, really. After I soak, I can apply ice myself, thank you. No need for you to do anything of the sort, Ayeka. I'm perfectly capable."

"But Tenchi, we, I, just want to help. Please let me," Ryoko pleaded.

"Yes Lord Tenchi, please tell me what I can do to help you, and I will perform as swiftly as possible." He heard a muttered "Dog show" from Ryoko, and winced as Ayeka turned to eye her rival with anger in her eyes.

"What did you say?"

"Well, at least I'm not trying to pretend I'm all innocent while offering to fondle Tenchi."

"Why you..."

Tenchi relaxed as the two girls started arguing and seemed to lose notice of him. He grabbed some clothes and slipped by them, trying not to listen to the names they were calling each other. He made his way to the baths, and quickly undressed and dropped himself into the warm water. Finally, he could forget about his sore side and think about what his grandfather had said to him before he'd left the practice. He eventually dozed off with dreams of the girls tending to his aching side.

--

Section Chief Chojiro Sakai felt out of place, and he knew he looked it as well. He'd been wandering around in the slum for a few minutes already, and the urge to leave and return to headquarters was very strong. Not surprisingly, he'd been the lucky one to enact the Deputy Commander's plan.

He didn't normally deal with these things himself, not anymore at any rate. Now that he and the commander had reached high enough positions in the GP, they couldn't afford to handle the grunt work any more. In this case, though, it was just too risky to leave it to some underling.

He glanced down the alley, noting the large amount of graffiti and refuse. Every once in a while a pile of garbage shifted in a way that left no doubt something was alive underneath. He hadn't been in a place like this since his early days as a beat cop back on Cilmantia.

That had been a humiliating experience. Only the worst cadets got stuck with planetside duty. Fortunately for him, the Deputy Commander had been the Sergeant in charge of the squad working on the planet, and a bond had quickly formed between the two. Working together they had systematically targeted Watanabe's superiors time and time again, doing anything they could to get them pushed aside so that Watanabe could replace them. Sometimes they'd been forced to wait for an officer's retirement, not everyone was susceptible to their scheming, but they'd bided their time. Every time Watanabe had gotten promoted, Sakai had gotten a promotion not long after, as well.

Here he was, a Section Chief with the Galaxy Police, roaming through a disgusting slum just like his earliest days with the force. It was an ugly game sometimes, but you had to get dirty to win.

He finally came to the markings on the wall indicated in his instructions. He pulled the note out of his jacket and placed it in the tin cup lying on the ground next to the dumpster. Assuming his information was correct, this would get passed back to the proper people within the Rudolpho Crime Syndicate. Once that happened, Sakai's and Watanabe's problems would go away. It would be ironic that they would be the ones who'd gotten them into trouble and out of it both. Once Makibi's team was wiped out, Nobeyama would be missing a whole squad of his best officers, not to mention the investigation which would probably happen due to his being on vacation while it happened.

The thought brought a brief smile to Sakai's face. Another look around wiped it off just as quickly. Sakai brushed off his hand and turned to walk quickly back out of the alley. He didn't want to be here a minute longer than necessary. It might be necessary, but it still wasn't pleasant.

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	3. Chapter 2: Reunion

Chapter 2: Reunion 

Kiyone Makibi exhaled as she watched the sensors. She'd been waiting for an hour for her new partner to show up, but so far there was no sign of them. She was early, of course, but she had been eager to get started on her new assignment.

Just as she was about to get up and pace the few feet she had available on the bridge of her transport, a Galaxy Police cruiser suddenly appeared directly in front of her ship.

"What the heck?" Kiyone burst out. Her new partner, presumably the pilot, had been using storming mode to keep from being noticed, though Kiyone couldn't figure out why. Kiyone started thinking of what she was going to say to them when she received the hail from the cruiser. She made the appropriate keystrokes on her console, and the viewscreen opened up to reveal the face of her new partner.

"Ahhhh!!!!!!" reverberated through two ship cabins simultaneously.

"Kiyone?"

"Mihoshi?"

"Is that really you?" again echoed simultaneously through the two ship cabins.

"How..."

"Ahhhh!!!!!!!'"

Mihoshi and Kiyone finally fell silent and just stared at each other for a few moments. Kiyone could see the tears coming out of Mihoshi's eyes and wondered for a moment whether they were tears of joy from realizing Kiyone was actually alive or tears of sadness that she had never told Mihoshi she was.

Finally, Kiyone decided to break the silence, knowing Mihoshi wasn't likely to stop crying any time soon. "So, how did you end up here, Mihoshi?" Kiyone liked to cut to the chase, and with Mihoshi that was usually the best approach any way. It's probably why she had been pretty effective teamed with Mihoshi, even considering the difficulties Mihoshi caused.

Mihoshi looked up again, her eyes now puffy and red and still leaking tears. "H-how did I get here, how did you get here? I mean, you were reported as dead, but I just knew it had to be a mistake."

Kiyone was amazed, Mihoshi seemed incredibly clearheaded at the moment, considering how emotional she could get. She decided to head off what was sure to be a deluge of questions so they could make better use of their time.

"Okay Mihoshi, let's do this. I'll transfer over to your ship and then we can talk about all of this on the way back. All right?" Kiyone was mentally bracing herself for an extremely long journey, even though it shouldn't actually take very long to make it down to wherever they were going if Kiyone's scant information was correct. With Mihoshi involved, it always felt like a long trip.

"Okay Kiyone, I'll set up the docking from here while you go get your stuff. And Kiyone, I'm so glad to see you again! You and me, partners again! Oh, I can hardly wait!" Mihoshi wiped away her tears as she joyfully began the docking procedures.

Kiyone set the autopilot on her transport shuttle to return it to GP headquarters and then headed for the airlock to transfer over to Mihoshi's cruiser. She stopped at the airlock and took a few deep breaths. This was going to be painful, she just knew it. Explaining things to Mihoshi was going to test her resolve. Taking one last deep breath and mentally cursing her new commanding officers for not telling her, she entered the ship prepared to face the fire.

--

Tenchi stirred in his bed as the morning sun streamed in through the window. He opened his eyes just enough to squint at the clock. He was late, and sat up in bed to stretch out the sleep stiffness.

(BONK)

"Yaugghh! Ryoko!!" His eyes flew open to see Ryoko hovering in front of him and he rubbed his forehead briefly. "How many times do I have to tell you not to do that?" He was annoyed with her, as always, and she was just as likewise unfazed.

"Good morning Tenchi!" Ryoko purred in her most sultry voice. "You know I want the first thing you see every day to be my beautiful face. If only you'd let me spend the night with you, you could wake up to it in a much more pleasant way..." It never worked with Tenchi, but it didn't hurt to try. Besides, it really annoyed Ayeka and there was nothing that amused her more than teasing the princess.

"Please, Ryoko, I've got to get up. I'm already late and if Ayeka finds you in here..." The door slid open, as if on cue, and the First Princess of Jurai stepped into Tenchi's room.

"Leave him alone, you... you... well you know what you are. Lord Tenchi shouldn't have to be subjected to this in the morning." Ayeka was not in the mood to let Ryoko get away with harassing Tenchi. It was bad enough that the former space pirate skipped out on all her chores, but she continued to intrude on his privacy as well.

Tenchi groaned inwardly. It was obviously going to be another one of those days. He sighed as he got out of bed, forgetting that he wasn't wearing anything but his boxer shorts. Both girls paused, and Ryoko immediately started ogling him. Ayeka blushed furiously and turned away, but continued to peak at him nonetheless. Tenchi realized why much too late, his face flushing in embarrassment. This was getting out of hand.

"Enough, ladies! No fighting, please." Tenchi had finally reached his limit and was getting upset.

Ayeka took the initiative and bowed politely. "I'm sorry, Lord Tenchi. I merely intended to bring you the shirts that I mended." She held out the small, neatly folded stack of shirts.

Ryoko dropped into her forlorn look. "But, Tenchi...."

"Ah. Thank you, Ayeka." Tenchi accepted the shirts and gave a short bow of thanks. He put them in a drawer before grabbing a change of clothes and a towel.

"I'm going to take a bath, then I'll see both of you for breakfast, okay?" Tenchi moved between the two towards his doorway, hoping that would end the matter. Amazingly it seemed to, though he had to pass between them as the two girls glared at the other. There were worse fates, he supposed.

"Yes, Lord Tenchi, I'll see you at breakfast then." Ayeka turned back to Ryoko with fire in her eyes as Tenchi hurried out.

"I'll save a place for you by me Tenchi." Ryoko smiled cheerfully before returning to the impending fight.

Tenchi closed the door.

--

Kiyone took a deep breath, and finished her narrative to Mihoshi. "So that's pretty much how I got to this point Mihoshi. I'm sorry I had to let you think I'd died, but it was important for keeping my cover. I hope you can forgive me."

Kiyone could hardly believe she was doing this. She'd just spent an hour reliving her recent past, all in hopes of gaining forgiveness from Mihoshi of all people. She was the person who'd caused her to want to get away in the first place.

The look on Mihoshi's face when she'd realized it was Kiyone had softened her up. Kiyone was able to keep a professional manner most of the time, but somehow, with Mihoshi, she just couldn't do it.

"Wow, Kiyone, that's just amazing. But you got them in the end, didn't you? You were always smarter than the bad guys." Mihoshi hugged her long-lost partner. "Kiyone and Mihoshi against the galaxy's bad guys. Just like the old days." An embarrassed smile then broke out on Mihoshi's face. "Of course, now I'm the senior detective in charge. Still, we're partners again and that's what really matters. First Class Detectives Mihoshi and Kiyone are here to save the day. This is going to be great!"

Kiyone felt her face start to heat up as old feelings came back and new conditions fell into place. She'd been hoping Mihoshi wouldn't remember that she had been put in charge. Technically, it was proper procedure, but it galled her. Being partnered with Mihoshi again was bad enough and, by itself, spelled the likely end of any chances at promotion.

What were those idiots back at Central thinking? Sakai and Watanabe hadn't done anything to earn her respect yet, and this was telling. At this point, she wouldn't put it past those two to be conspiring to stop her career in its tracks. They might even be trying to score some brownie points with Mihoshi and therefore with her grandfather. It was that or they were trying to get her to go out with them. Mihoshi always attracted the low-lifes, though none of them ever succeeded. It was one of the things she'd actually liked about Mihoshi. She always stayed focused on her career, not on the men who chased after her because she seemed like an easy target.

Kiyone shook her head, trying to focus her thoughts. Introspection could wait. Kiyone needed to put a stop to this 'Mihoshi-in-charge' nonsense right now. "Okay, Mihoshi, we're partners again and technically you're still the senior officer on this assignment. But you can't realistically believe that they meant for you to be giving me orders, can you? How many of your plans ever worked?"

"Well, actually...."

"Without resulting in excessive collateral damage," Kiyone hastily amended.

"But Kiyone, those were the orders from Section Chief Sakai and we're currently under his orders." Mihoshi wasn't sure what Kiyone was so concerned about, but didn't want her to worry. "I don't think we have to worry too much about criminals out here, though. The only inhabited planet in this system is Earth and they don't have any advanced technology. Washu and Tenchi's family does, but they probably don't count. There's also Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki, but they're my friends, too." She paused for a moment to think about the relatively quiet years. "Come to think of it, there's really not much to do out here besides patrolling this system and that's pretty dull. Even local crime on Earth is outside our jurisdiction."

"Stop! Stop! Mihoshi! Wait a second." Kiyone couldn't stop herself from waving her arms in the air. "What's going on here? What kind of assignment is this, and who are these people that you're talking about? Aren't Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki two of the galaxy's most-wanted criminals?"

"Oh Kiyone, where should I start? There's so much to tell..."

Kiyone sighed as she leaned back to listen to Mihoshi's story. This was going to be a long assignment.

--

Sasami quickly swept up the broken shards from the cup to put them away in the wastebasket. That was the third one she'd broken this month, along with two plates and a bowl. Thankfully, other things she'd dropped and knocked over hadn't broken. She was tired of being so clumsy and she hated to let Tenchi go on thinking it was just more stuff that Mihoshi had broken. She'd never been accident-prone before, no more than any other kid she'd known, but she admittedly hadn't met many other children.

She knew it had to do with how fast she was growing, but she'd been afraid to ask anyone about it. She wasn't really sure whom to ask. She couldn't ask Ayeka about it, because then she'd probably have to admit how flushed she'd been getting lately when 'he' was around. She didn't want Ayeka to start getting angry with her. Ayeka had enough fights with Ryoko, sometimes even clashing with Mihoshi and Washu too. Sasami worried it might cause problems between her sister and herself. That was something she couldn't bear, Ayeka was one of the few people who'd ever been there for her throughout her life.

Ryoko was out of the question, being just as likely to get upset as Ayeka, if not more so. Mihoshi was a kind person, but she didn't know if Mihoshi could really help. Could she talk to Washu? Somehow she thought that Washu would understand, being the greatest scientist in the galaxy and the oldest of the girls. Sasami just didn't know if she could talk to someone outside her family about it.

She wished she could talk to her mother, or at least Aunt Funaho. She supposed she could send them a message but she really needed to talk, not just send messages back and forth. That just wouldn't do the trick, it would take too long and just wouldn't feel right.

"Hello Sasami, could I get something to eat?"

Sasami jumped as Washu entered the kitchen, and she hastily dropped the remains of the cup into the garbage and turned to greet Washu. "Hello, Washu. Of course you can get something. Lunch will be in about an hour though, if you can wait. I'm making miso soup and grilled fish, today, and probably a couple other things I haven't picked yet. I can get some ready for you now, if you'd like." Sasami smiled down at Washu and waited for her answer. It was strange, she was already much taller than Washu. She was already as tall as Ayeka, and she was probably going to grow taller still.

"Well, I suppose I can wait an hour if you can do something for me, Sasami." Washu held up the little yellow robot she used to administer physicals. "It's time for everyone to get a checkup. I haven't done this in a while and I probably shouldn't put it off any longer."

"Right now, Washu? Can it wait until after lunch? I don't want to ruin the soup."

"This'll only take a couple minutes, Sasami. You can sit down, if you'd like?"

"Umm... okay."

Sasami sat down, then started a bit as Washu placed the yellow bot on her head and it started doing whatever it was that it was supposed to be doing. She rubbed her hands nervously, glancing over at the stove to where the ingredients for her lunch were sitting.

(BLEEP, BLOOP, BLEEP, BLOOP)

Washu noticed Sasami's fidgeting. "Just relax Sasami, it'll go quicker that way. Good. Hmmm, what's this? That can't be right. Let me just check this again."

(BLEEP, BLOOP)

"Same thing. That's not right..." Washu stepped back to look at Sasami more carefully. "That's incredible! How could this have happened without my noticing? Wait just a little bit longer Sasami, I need to check one more thing."

Sasami had been getting nervous at the sounds of Washu's tests, and asked timidly, "Ah, Washu? What's wrong? What did you find? Am I sick?"

"No, you're not sick. Well, not exactly." Washu removed the yellow bot from Sasami's head, and after putting it away into subspace, pulled Sasami to her feet. She then proceeded to turn Sasami slowly in a circle, looking at her carefully the whole time. "It must be true, it's obvious when you know what you're looking at. Sasami, aren't you supposed to be about thirteen years old right now?"

"Yes, that's right."

"Well, according to your checkup, you're now about sixteen years old. Something is causing accelerated growth through concentrated biochemical stimulus."

Sasami blinked in confusion. "S-sixteen? Bio-what? But... how?"

"I don't know the answer to that right now, Sasami. I'll be looking into it of course, but I think it's important I check everyone else out to see if they've been affected as well. My own checkup didn't show anything, but most of the time I'm in subspace in my lab. Whatever it was that caused it might not have affected me at all."

Sasami started to tremble, the fear starting to show in her face as well. "Am I going to die?"

Washu blinked, then shook her head vigorously. "What? No, of course not. You're perfectly healthy in every respect, you're just older than you're supposed to be. Otherwise you're just fine, so don't worry. I don't suppose you have any idea what might have caused this?"

Lowering her head, Sasami started, "Ummmmm... I've been feeling kind of weird lately, sort of clumsy. Not like Mihoshi, but still pretty bad. And now, when Tenchi is around, I get kind of warm and tingly, and I can't understand it. I didn't used to feel that way when he's around. I mean, I always kind of liked him before, but I didn't feel all weird when he was around. Do you think that could be it?" There she'd admitted it to someone, there was no turning back now. She thought she should maybe be scared about what it might be. It had never really felt bad, though, just like she was changing, but maybe a little too fast to keep up with.

"Mmmm, hmmm. I see. Well, that doesn't sound real serious, just what any girl your age might be going through..." Washu smiled comfortingly, then started looking at Sasami more closely. The older girl sitting in front of her was still unmistakably Sasami, with the blue hair in pigtails, the pink eyes, the two small triangular runes on her forehead. She just hadn't noticed the changes before, she got out of her lab so rarely. When she did, she usually had other things to consider besides what Sasami looked like; mainly what Tenchi looked like.

Washu was both excited and frightened at the same time. The scientific possibilities of this discovery were definitely interesting, though she'd long since figured out how to get around the aging process herself so that she could choose her own age at will. This was not the same as how she did it. What was frightening was the possibility that someone or something could exert this kind of influence on Sasami without anyone's knowledge.

She made a mental note to check everyone else living in the house to see if they'd been affected likewise. It would be much less obvious in any of the others, as they were all mostly fully grown and developed. Tenchi still had a bit of filling out to do, but he wasn't likely to get much taller. She'd observed him pretty carefully every time she had wandered out, and he certainly didn't appear to be aging faster than normal. She'd check him to be sure, but she suspected it was only Sasami that was being affected for some reason.

"Ummmm... Miss Washu? Could this be because of, well, Tsunami, do you think? She's been getting more and more quiet all the time, I almost never talk to her any more. I'm starting to wonder if we aren't merged already, cause I haven't spoken to her in weeks. But I don't feel like I've changed that way yet, at least not like what I was expecting. I mean I've got some fuzzy memories of things I'm pretty sure aren't mine, but I don't feel like a different person yet." Sasami looked at Washu expectantly for a moment, then turned and let her gaze wander over the kitchen. She was a little afraid of the answer she might get from Washu, and even more than that, what it might mean. She wasn't sure she wanted to hear it or face it.

"Hmmmm. That's possible, I suppose. It's a bit difficult to have data on hand for the kind of thing someone like Tsunami can do, she's pretty unique after all. Any possibility I could talk to Tsunami? Can you call her mentally when you want to talk, or is it just whenever she chooses to?" Washu was intrigued now. She had left Sasami out of her experimentation for the most part, focusing on Tenchi and Ryoko predominantly, and Mihoshi to a limited extent.

She didn't have any real way to verify if Sasami was correct in her assumption. It was certainly plausible that their link was causing Sasami to age faster, but Tsunami had never indicated that might happen. This was a new experience for everyone, though, Tsunami included, so possibly she hadn't realized what might happen. She studied Sasami carefully, waiting for her response. Washu mentally calculated how fast she must have been growing lately, and was pretty surprised Sasami hadn't been tripping and falling at least as much as Mihoshi lately. She was probably going to be pretty graceful and athletic if she'd made it through an unnatural growth spurt like this without getting hurt or having anyone notice her clumsiness.

She'd started filling out like a teenager as well. She wasn't done yet, and she still had some very light freckles on her nose, but you could see the signs of how beautiful she would be now. She was no longer just a cute little girl, but a beautiful young woman who just needed to finish maturing. Washu felt a twinge of jealousy, and wondered how Tenchi was going to handle it, let alone Ayeka and Ryoko. They'd all known the final form she was going to grow into eventually, but had expected it to still be many years out, instead of the two or three years it was apparently going to take at this rate. Washu winced in contemplation of how the tension in the household was likely to rise another notch with another beautiful woman vying for Tenchi's affection. Not that Sasami had lacked for his attention, but it had been less threatening to the rest of the ladies in the house. That was definitely going to change now.

"I've never really been able to call her, Washu. When I want to talk to her, I try, and sometimes she answers. She used to be there for me all the time when I was really little, but as I've gotten older, it seems like she's been busier or something. I still talk to her sometimes, but not as often. I just don't know. I can try and talk to her but I don't know if she'll answer." Sasami hoped Tsunami would answer this time. She realized she needed the answer to this question but had been afraid to ask for fear of an answer she didn't want.

"Well, do the best you can. Don't worry, we'll get the answer some way." Washu could see the nervousness-bordering-on-fear running across Sasami's face. "We can keep this to ourselves for now, if you want?"

"I don't think anyone else has noticed yet. Nobody's said anything any way. Thank you, Washu. I'd like to keep this between us, for now." Sasami lunged for Washu and engulfed her in a hug. Washu winced, feeling the bone-cracking strain of a hug from someone who was unquestionably Queen Misaki's daughter. That was obviously a trait which had been passed on to Sasami, unlike Ayeka. Ayeka seemed to have inherited more of her father's traits than her mother's. She was much more serious and politically inclined than Sasami would ever be. But she was changing gradually due to the influence of this unusual household.

--

Ryoko and Ayeka had finally ended their argument and headed down to the table to claim their places on either side of Tenchi. The other ladies never tried to take their spots, but it was just to be safe of course. They tried to discourage any advances from the rest where Tenchi was concerned. When they reached the bottom of the stairs they heard the voice of Washu speaking with Sasami in the kitchen, which was fairly unusual. They glanced at each other before Ryoko spoke.

"What do you suppose they're talking about? Hard to believe Washu is out of her lab, let alone having a conversation with Sasami as opposed to pestering Tenchi. She hasn't been out at all this week." Ryoko made to barge into the kitchen, only to be restrained by Ayeka holding her arm.

"Wait Ryoko, perhaps we shouldn't just intrude on what might be a private conversation? It wouldn't be polite."

"What do you mean it wouldn't be polite? You barge into my private conversations with Tenchi all the time. What's the difference? I'm going in!" And with that, Ryoko pulled away from Ayeka, and entered the kitchen, planting herself in front of her mother and crossing her arms.

"What's up 'Mom'? How come you're not out chasing Tenchi like usual? Or did one of your experiments go wrong and wipe your brain out finally?" Ryoko then noticed the expression on Sasami's face. "Er... is something wrong?"

Sasami and Washu shared a quick look, and then Sasami shook her head. "No, Ryoko, I'm OK. I just needed to talk a little bit, and Washu happened to step out for a meal. It's nothing, really." Washu and Sasami could tell Ryoko wasn't buying it, but they'd agreed to keep it to themselves for now. Washu saw the look building on Ryoko's face and cut it off quickly.

"Since you're here, Ryoko..." Washu reached into a subspace pocket and pulled out her yellow checkup bot. "It's time for a checkup. You're sagging!" She grabbed some of the fish Sasami had cooked and dragged Ryoko out of the kitchen, nearly running into Ayeka in the process. Ayeka had obviously been standing there listening, though Washu assumed that if Ryoko didn't know what her conversation with Sasami had been about, Ayeka probably didn't either. She'd obviously heard the last bit though, and knew Sasami had chosen to talk to Washu rather than her own sister. Washu really didn't need the aggravation right now, and hoped Ayeka would be reasonable.

"Oh, hello Little Washu. I haven't seen you in many days. Is everything going well in your lab these days?"

"It's been fine, of course. A genius doesn't have problems in the lab. After I'm done with feisty, here..." Washu nodded at the struggling Ryoko, "could you stop by my lab for a checkup, also?

"Ah... yes, Little Washu. I think perhaps I'll go help Sasami with lunch."

Not waiting for a response from Washu, she hurried through the kitchen door, leaving Washu behind looking back into the kitchen. Washu rolled her eyes, and mentally congratulated herself on grabbing lunch before Ayeka got her hands on it. Washu silently wished Sasami luck, and decided she'd talk to Ryoko instead of looking for Tenchi.

Ryoko gave Washu a quizzical look, but Washu only shook her head and indicated the living room, wanting to give Ayeka and Sasami the privacy they would need. Ryoko followed her over, realizing she wouldn't be getting an answer just now. She knew it would probably get out eventually, but she'd have to be patient. She wasn't good at it yet, but she'd gotten better, waiting for Tenchi.

--

Kiyone frowned as she once again couldn't find the control for the shuttle that she was looking for. Mihoshi buzzing around behind her wasn't helping matters, either.

On cue, Mihoshi said, "Come on Kiyone, if you hurry we can make it in time for lunch. You've never had food as good as what Sasami makes before, I'll bet."

Kiyone was taking her time, getting familiar with the control of a GP cruiser for the first time in quite some while. This one in particular seemed to have some quirks to its controls that Kiyone didn't remember from before. She'd read the tech manual for a GP cruiser to familiarize herself with any changes that may have happened while she was undercover and away from the spacecraft, but this one didn't seem to match up with anything she'd read.

Kiyone just gritted her teeth and carefully maneuvered the ship into the atmospheric entry track that Mihoshi used to get to the location she was staying at on Earth. After finally getting things adjusted properly, she set the landing procedures on auto and sat back to rub her temples.

The shuttle began making its descent towards the small lake Mihoshi had indicated. Kiyone watched on the screen as the planet grew larger and larger. Once they hit the atmosphere, the ship started to vibrate and Kiyone started to get concerned.

"Uh, Mihoshi? Shouldn't we be slowing down, soon." Kiyone turned to look at her partner, who was looking at a picture on the side of the bridge. Mihoshi? She walked over, forgetting momentarily about the vibrations and assuming that they perhaps had an advanced system here on this planet allowing for rapid descents. She glanced over Mihoshi's shoulder at the picture of the young man in it. "Hey, he's kinda cute. Who is he, Mihoshi?"

Mihoshi jumped, then blushed deeply before answering. "Oh, that's... Tenchi. You know, I told you we were staying at his house."

Kiyone frowned slightly and said, "That's Tenchi? When you told me we'd be staying at someone's house, I assumed it would be someone a little bit older. I didn't realize he'd be that young." Kiyone noticed Mihoshi's reaction and questioned her even further. "Mihoshi? You like him, don't you?"

Mihoshi started rubbing her hands together and shuffling her feet as her face reddened even further. "I, that is, well..."

Kiyone was shocked. Mihoshi had never paid much attention to any of the men who were always hitting on her. She'd focused primarily on her career, much like Kiyone always had. In fact Kiyone had probably had more dates during the time she was partnered with Mihoshi than Mihoshi had, thinking back on it.

"That's a good thing, isn't it Mihoshi? I mean, you never really seemed that interested in guys before, I mean, not beyond just friends and acquaintances. So what's the scoop?"

Before Mihoshi could answer, Yukinojo swung out and shouted, "Brace for impact!" He then retracted and stowed himself away.

"Brace for impact? What the hell?" Kiyone spun around and hurled herself back into the command seat in time to see the surface of the lake racing up to meet them. "Oh sh..."

--

As Ayeka entered the room, Sasami could see from the look in her eyes that she knew something was going on. She'd managed to keep it to herself for months without anyone noticing, but apparently her luck had run out and everyone would soon find out. It was going to be so embarrassing having everyone knowing what she was going through.

Ayeka seemed to be struggling with what to say as she looked at her, so Sasami decided it would be better if she began explaining. Since Washu knew, she might as well tell Ayeka. "I'm sorry Ayeka, I wanted to tell you something. I really did. I was just so embarrassed about what was happening and I didn't want to bother you with something so silly. I'm really, really sorry."

"Tell me what, Sasami?" Ayeka found herself wondering what it was that Washu had found out about her sister before she herself did. She waited nervously for Sasami to answer.

"Er, well, actually I didn't really know what it was until I spoke with Washu. I just knew I was growing fast, but... I guess... I'm... ah... I'm sixteen now." Sasami fidgeted a bit as she sat quietly in front of her sister.

Ayeka paused for a moment in disbelief. "Sixteen? But that's impossible; you're only thirteen of course. If you were sixteen..."

Ayeka faltered as she considered her little sister's appearance more carefully. Sasami was almost as tall as Ayeka herself, and had clearly begun to blossom into a young woman as well. Worse, Sasami's bosom was as large as her own already. She had never considered whether her sister was growing up too quickly, but n fact she did look much older than she probably ought to.

"What makes Washu think that you're sixteen, Sasami?"

"She did a physical checkup on me with that little yellow robot that she uses. According to it I'm sixteen now."

Ayeka considered that carefully for a moment, then responded, "But how is that possible? What could cause you to age faster than the rest of us? Oh, it's not Tsunami, is it? Why would she do that to you?"

"I don't know Ayeka. I don't know if she's doing it or not, she hasn't told me anything about it yet. Maybe it's just cause we're assimilated. Maybe it's so I can die so that she can finally take my place."

"What? Don't be ridiculous Sasami. You're not going to die when you finally merge with Tsunami. She told me so herself."

"But she's going to become me, so I won't need to be here any more."

"Now stop that. You'll be fine, you're not going to die. Tsunami told me specifically that you were going to become one at the proper time, and that you would be both Sasami and Tsunami, not that you would die and she would replace you. Oh Sasami... I know you're scared right now, but I will always love you, no matter what." Ayeka opened her arms and Sasami rushed to embrace her. She knew Sasami needed a hug right now. It was a family trait from her mother that Sasami had definitely inherited.

The hug lasted a while as Sasami sobbed quietly into Ayeka's kimono. Ayeka smiled at her sister, noticing the light freckles she still carried even though she'd grown into a young woman now instead of a child.

"Ayeka?"

"Yes, Sasami."

"Did mom talk to you about, ummm, well you know... boys and stuff?" There, she'd said it. She thought about doing things with Tenchi now, like holding hands and even kissing maybe, though she didn't want to admit it to Ayeka yet.

Ayeka could see the blush rising in Sasami's cheeks. It complemented her freckles and pink eyes, making Ayeka a bit jealous. She didn't know if she looked so cute when she blushed. She felt the heat rising in her cheeks as she thought about Sasami's question. She couldn't help thinking about Tenchi as she did so, wondering if she'd ever do some of the things her mother had told her about with Tenchi.

"Well, yes she did actually. Sasami, I know you're probably going through a lot right now, but I really think that's one you need to wait and talk about with mother. She'd kill me if I tried to have that conversation with you before she got to. Do you want to send her a message? If we send her a message today, she'll be here pretty quickly. Even father wouldn't dare mess with her."

Ayeka giggled a little bit, remembering the many times her father had been set straight by her mother. That was one of the things she'd taught Ayeka. Tried to any way. Ayeka was willing to admit she hadn't paid as much attention during those lessons. She'd already been promised to Yosho, she had thought she loved him so much and he loved her. Because he'd always been so kind and gentle, she had never expected to need to use any of those skills. She'd always been a little too reserved to take some of them seriously, too. A refresher might be nice, though, now that she thought about it. Tenchi could use a few corrections in certain things, though he wasn't actually her husband yet. He would be someday, though. He just had to be.

"All right Ayeka. I'll wait for mother then. I just thought since everyone was going to find out about me growing so fast and stuff, that maybe we could talk about some other things too."

Ayeka was just about to continue her questioning when both she and Sasami heard the sound of many voices out in the living room.

"Huh?! Oh Mihoshi must be home. Let's go meet her new partner, Ayeka." Sasami scampered out of the kitchen, preventing Ayeka from asking her any more questions. Sasami needed to put some space between her sister and herself for a moment, and seized the opportunity provided by Mihoshi's arrival.

--

"Is everything all right, Yukinojo?" Kiyone asked, figuring he'd know better than she would by scanning the readings flashing across the screen.

"Everything seems optimal, Kiyone. I believe there will be a small depression in my outer hull at the stern, but nothing appears to have been seriously damaged." Kiyone breathed a sigh of relief. Even though it was really Mihoshi's fault as usual, she was still upset with herself for such a poor landing on her very first opportunity.

"Let's go, Kiyone, lunch-time." Mihoshi bounced out of the cabin towards the ship's exit, obviously in a hurry. Kiyone had somehow managed to forget how much Mihoshi liked to eat. Kiyone had a good appetite, but Mihoshi probably ate twice as much as she did and still looked like some kind of intergalactic holo-star. Kiyone got enough exercise to work off the amount she ate, but Mihoshi just seemed to have an unnatural ability to eat anything and still be thin.

Kiyone gathered some of her things, and followed Mihoshi to the transport pod. She felt the surge of energy, then found herself up to her neck in water. She splashed her way up to the shore.

"What the... Mihoshi! I'm all wet!"

"Oh, I'm sorry Kiyone. I always get that wrong. Let's go inside, we can dry off and then it'll be time for lunch."

Kiyone followed the bouncing Mihoshi to the front door of the large house. It appeared to have been built rather patchwork, some sections obviously being newer than others, but it was a very attractive home, nonetheless.

Kiyone stepped through the door and noticed the lady and child sitting and talking quietly in what was obviously the living area for the home. She barely managed to stop herself from drawing her sidearm and drawing aim on who was obviously Ryoko, the 'former' space pirate. Mihoshi had explained it all to her, and she understood that the statute of limitations had run out, but it was still hard to see someone who had been 'galaxy-most-wanted' sitting right there in front of her, and not do anything about it.

She calmed herself and looked at the young girl carefully. That had to be Washu, from Mihoshi's descriptions. Hard to believe the young girl looking back at her was really the 20,000 year old self-proclaimed 'greatest scientific genius in the universe'. Although you could see something in her stance and her eyes that showed she was not just a typical twelve-year-old girl.

"Hello Washu, Ryoko, it's so good to be home. Where's everyone else? I thought it would probably be lunchtime when we got here. I'm so hungry I could eat a horse. Well not literally, I don't think I've ever actually eaten horse before, but I'm really, really hungry." Mihoshi was literally bouncing now, looking everywhere the eyes could see as if expecting something or someone to pop out in front of her. Kiyone could see however that there was a little tension in the room in how Ryoko and Washu were looking at each other and sending glances at the door Kiyone presumed likely led to the kitchen.

Kiyone waited to see if Mihoshi was going to remember to introduce her, but she was so obviously wrapped up in whatever was currently bouncing around in her head that she didn't think of it. She put on her warmest smile and did it herself. "Hello, Washu. Hello, Ryoko. I'm First Class Detective Kiyone Makibi of the Galaxy Police. It's nice to meet you after everything Mihoshi has told me. And yes Ryoko, she mentioned that the statue of limitations had run out on you, so I won't be arresting you."

A spark of fire jumped into Ryoko's eyes at her introduction and she laughed "You might have tried to arrest me, but you wouldn't have been able to."

Kiyone noted the confidence with which she made this statement. 'It would have been interesting to try and arrest her', Kiyone thought.

"My condolences on your partner," she heard Ryoko murmur quietly, to avoid Mihoshi hearing. Washu smiled at that statement as well. They obviously knew the same Mihoshi that she did, then. That was good to know. She'd been a fraction afraid that they hadn't had to deal with the bumbling, disaster on two feet that Kiyone always had. Mihoshi had described the relationship between everyone who lived here as almost a family, even though most weren't really related, at least in the traditional sense, any way.

Kiyone smiled as well, noting with some amazement that Ryoko seemed to have a mischievous personality, not the coarse, arrogant, and grating one she would have expected of someone who'd achieved the status of 'most-wanted'. That thought was interrupted as the shorter woman walked up to Kiyone.

"Hello, Kiyone, I'm Washu, greatest scientific genius in the universe. Nice to meet you. Call me Little Washu, please."

Washu definitely had a mischievous look to her as well. There wasn't really much resemblance between Ryoko and her, however, beyond the spiky hair. Kiyone suspected Washu's look might not be exactly what would be her natural form, considering she was 20,000 years old, and looked twelve.

"I see she brought you through the lake, as usual. I assume I'll need to repair the shuttle, too?"

--

Tenchi had reached the top of the stairs, and heard the voices of some of the ladies coming from the living room. He realized it was probably Mihoshi with her new partner and hurried down the stairs two steps at a time. He heard Washu saying something as he reached the bottom and turned to the ladies standing in the room, only to get run into by a bundle of sky-blue hair that had come flying out of the kitchen. Both he and Sasami tumbled into the group of women standing and talking in the living room.

"Owwwwww!"

Once the pile of bodies came to a halt, Tenchi took a few moments to collect himself. He felt no serious injuries so he opened his eyes and then blinked. He was looking into the face of a woman he didn't recognize, but she was definitely pretty. She had blue-green hair held back with an orange headband, and when she opened her eyes Tenchi saw them widen slightly. He was about to say something, when he felt movement in his groin area, and he nearly jumped out of his skin. Scrambling out from under the new woman and Sasami, Tenchi managed to catch Ryoko 'innocently' placing her hands behind her back.

"Ryoko!!!! What were you thinking?" he accused.

Ryoko put on one of her most mischievous smiles. "Well, I was thinking 'The things I could do with this....' Of course if what you really wanted to know was what was I doing, well then the answer is trying to stand up. That just happened to be where my hands ended up after you and Sasami hit us with that flying body tackle." She switched to her innocent look as she finished her answer.

"That hardly seems likely Ryoko. I suspect you were molesting Lord Tenchi again, as always." Ayeka had followed Sasami out of the kitchen at a more reasonable pace and managed to avoid the pileup in the living room. She had seen some of the aftermath, and while Ryoko had been knocked down, she had not needed to place her hands where she had to get up. That argument could wait, though. "Is everyone all right? That looked to be quite a serious collision."

"I'm fine, Ayeka" answered Sasami. Her face was quite flushed for some reason, but she looked to be fine like she had said.

"Okay."

"I'm fine too."

"No bruises but my pride."   
"Well hopefully we've all learned not to run in the house at least." Washu gave everyone her best strict mother look with that statement, noticing the guilty starts from Tenchi and Sasami. "All right everyone, settle down. I think introductions are in order, don't you Mihoshi?" said Washu.

Sasami pushed aside the thoughts of Tenchi's hand on her backside during the pileup to try and focus on the current situation. She didn't think he'd noticed, but she had.

"Oh, of course, how silly of me. Everyone, this is First Class Detective Kiyone Makibi of the Galaxy Police. She's the best detective in the GP. We always got the criminals in our cases thanks to her. Kiyone, this is Tenchi, this is his house, well his father's really, but Tenchi's too."

"Hello, Kiyone. Welcome." Tenchi looked at Kiyone and noticed her eyes widen slightly again as she looked back. And then he saw her cheeks redden slightly as she obviously realized he had noticed. "I hope sharing a room with Mihoshi for a while will be all right?"

Kiyone gathered her wits, and smiled at Tenchi. "Yes of course that'll be fine. You don't have to do that of course, we can find a place of our own to live." Those eyes of his. She hadn't seen anyone with eyes like that that she could remember in a long time, not since her family, really, and Mihoshi of course who barely counted. Such an unusual color for starters, but also so warm and friendly. She'd spent too many years working with criminals and hardened police officers. You never got a chance to see eyes truly full of warmth in those circles. He'd noticed her reaction, too. She needed to get a grip and focus, she didn't have time to get involved with anyone, let alone someone being pursued by five women already if Mihoshi could be believed.

"Don't be silly, Kiyone, there's plenty of room here." That comment from Mihoshi got a few raised eyebrows, but she moved on, oblivious of the curious looks she was receiving from everyone present. "And this is Princess Ayeka, and this is Princess Sasami."

"It's so great to meet you Kiyone. I'm sure you'll like it here. Everyone is really nice." Sasami turned a hard look on everyone, warning them to be on their best behavior. She had seen Ryoko and Ayeka glancing at Kiyone with a little fire in their eyes, obviously not thrilled to have another beautiful woman moving in. Sasami didn't necessarily like it either, but she had never felt like she was really in the competition for Tenchi, any way, she was so young. She liked to try and remind everyone of their manners, which occasionally got out of hand with Tenchi nearby.

"Yes Kiyone, it is good to meet you. Welcome." Ayeka's greeting was her usual formal one, with a hint of forced politeness. She had seen that Kiyone and Tenchi had shared some kind of reaction from the tumble, and hoped it didn't mean more competition. There was too much already.

"And this is Washu, and her daughter Ryoko."

"We've already met, Mihoshi, we were here when you brought Kiyone in." Ryoko was also eying Kiyone as surreptitiously as possible. Kiyone seemed to be pretty tough, unlike most of the women here. Ryoko had always considered herself to be the most intimidating of the women in this house, but she wasn't sure she was any more. She knew she could take Kiyone in a fight, if it ever came down to that, but in general appearance Kiyone had an air of competence about her that gave you pause. She was left wondering whether Tenchi would be attracted to that.

"Well, if that's settled then, how about Mihoshi shows Kiyone to their room so they quit dripping on the floor, and the rest of us sit down to eat? Personally, I'm starving. There's a reason I left my lab you know." Washu was very hungry now, and decided it was time to eat, no matter what else might be going on. She got plenty of agreement from everyone but one.

Sasami dashed back for the kitchen, calling, "Oh no, my soup...."

--

Marco finished his kata under the watchful gaze of his current 'master'. He tried to practice his forms at least once a day, when it was possible. He didn't really consider the person to be his master of course, but practicing by yourself all the time without anyone watching for flaws led to sloppiness. That was something that couldn't be afforded in his line of work, especially when he shunned the use of guns whenever possible.

It wasn't that he didn't know how to use a gun, he was pretty good with one actually. It was just that he'd long ago decided he'd be more than just a street thug. He left that to the other people without true ambition. A gun left a pretty impressive result when you killed someone with it, especially some of the new model blasters, but it just didn't leave the same impression. Everyone could use a gun to kill someone, so they weren't properly impressed by it. Not everyone could kill you with a weapon that required close contact like a knife or a sword. The results were somehow more gruesome, more psychologically intimidating, and that was Marco's true fascination with the sword.

He also relished the look on his opponent's face when they realized they were beaten. He'd grown up poor, in a tough neighborhood, and getting beaten up by the older kids left him determined to pay back someone for his misery. He wasn't going to get beaten up ever again, but shooting someone was too easy. He'd had to look his tormentors in the face when they beat him up, and he wanted his victims to suffer just like he had.

Mr. Rudolpho was one of the few people who'd ever recognized the psychological damage that could be inflicted that way. Once Marco had gotten far enough in the organization as hired muscle, he'd set out to truly learn the art of killing. That had led to his lessons with a blade. Mr. Rudolpho had been more than willing to let him cut a man's hand off, or slash a face, to leave permanent scars as a better reminder to the people who didn't submit to them. Killing someone left an impression that faded over time, but using a blade could leave a better mark if done properly. People could often see the results of Marco's work, day after day.

Marco looked up, and noticed one of the new lackeys waiting nervously in the corner, obviously not wanting to disturb the proceedings and anger Marco. He dismissed his 'master' with a look of his eyes, and then waved the newcomer over. It must be some fairly important news for him to bother coming in to Marco's practice gym. He watched the newcomer, Franco Pizante if he remembered correctly, approach until he was in front of Marco, and then held up his hand to prevent him from talking til his 'master' had left the room. Family business didn't concern him, so it was never discussed in his presence if possible.

Marco turned to Franco as the door closed and asked "Yes?" He then waited as Franco licked his lips before answering. The man was obviously not comfortable speaking directly to Marco with no one else around to witness anything that might happen. Marco enjoyed the respect he received from some members of the organization. He'd worked hard to earn it after his early life on the streets growing up.

"We got an anonymous tip regarding the identities of the team who got Luigi. Boss asked if you'd come an talk it over with him."

Whenever the boss asked if you wanted to do something it wasn't really a request, but an order. Marco grunted an affirmative, and said, "Sure thing. I'll be there after I shower. Maybe 15 minutes."

Franco nodded, and turned to hustle out of the gym. Marco smiled with the knowledge of one more person he had totally intimidated. He headed for the showers, knowing he was going to go and face the music with Mr. Rudolpho. He wanted to be presentable for that, there was no point in making him any angrier than he was already going to be. You didn't keep the boss waiting if you knew what was good for you.

He walked into the locker room, and quickly disrobed, noting in passing by one of the mirrors what an impressive figure he posed. He was taller than average, with a well-muscled frame. He was exceptionally proud of the fact that he carried no visible scars. You could see them if you got close, but most people never got that close and lived. He'd picked up all of his scars when he was younger, getting beaten up in his old neighborhood. Once he joined up with the Rudolphos and started training, he'd never gotten another serious injury.

He finished his shower quickly, and dressed in one of his custom suits. You had to dress the part in this organization, so Marco had some special tailoring done for his suits. He had to since he shunned the use of guns when possible. If all you needed to hide was a firearm, any suit would do. For Marco, he needed to be able to hide knives, and even occasionally a full blade, though he'd taken to carrying the energy sword lately due to its ease of concealment. He also needed a suit that allowed the freedom of movement necessary for his chosen weapons. He had his shoes custom made, as well, with a sole more suited to the footwork he needed. While he wasn't quite as fashionable as he could have been as a result, Mr. Rudolpho forgave him because of his results.

He walked down the hallway, turned the couple of corners necessary, and opened the side door to Mr. Rudolpho's office which only he and Mr. Rudolpho's butler used. He coughed loudly to announce his presence, as Mr. Rudolpho was turned with his back to the door Marco had come through. Valentino Rudolpho turned to look at Marco with the expected anger in his eyes. "You're tardy."

"You know that I was working out. You'd have been just as upset if I came in here sweating and smelly. Cut to the chase." Marco knew he'd said what he needed to, he could see it in Mr. Rudolpho's eyes. He also knew how angry Mr. Rudolpho had to be not to be able to think this through for himself.

Having his son arrested had affected him deeply. He'd intentionally limited himself to the one son, even with all of his various wives and mistresses over the years. It had been to prevent any kind of competition to see who might eventually succeed him as head of the family. Since he'd been unwilling to risk another son, he also had no daughters after Luigi was born. The only family he had right now was his son, since his last wife had had to meet with an accident after she blabbed a bit of sensitive information with her girlfriends. Marco had spent a few weeks cleaning up that fiasco, and it hadn't made him any more popular in the organization. Having to kill a half dozen wives and girlfriends of the other members never made you popular. He wasn't interested in popularity, though, only respect.

He wondered if Mr. Rudolpho would ever learn of his involvement in the bust that got his son arrested. He doubted it. He'd never done anything to cross Mr. Rudolpho before in his life. He hadn't even known for sure what he was going to do would work at the time. He'd secretly killed the normal dealer for the job Luigi had been putting together in the hopes it would cause him to panic and make a mistake. It had almost worked out better than Marco had hoped for. The only problem had been that the police brought so many men to the final bust that everyone had surrendered instead of trying to fight their way out.

With Luigi dead and out of the way, he'd have been in line to take over after Mr. Rudolpho, but Luigi was only in jail, not dead. Marco would never be able to kill Luigi himself. Luigi didn't trust him any more than anyone else did. Only Mr. Rudolpho truly did. Marco had really only been trying to make Luigi's attempts to start running some of the business turn into a failure, so that maybe Mr. Rudolpho would realize his son might not be cut out for the leadership, but he'd turned to a GP sting operator when Marco had killed his original dealer. The current cause of all this activity.

"Yes, you're right of course. We've got a list of names and locations. It almost certainly came from those two, nobody else could have gotten the information so quickly. They knew what was going to happen if they didn't atone for their blunder." Rudolpho's eyes narrowed as he looked directly at Marco. "I want these people dead. I want those bastards at the GP to get the message this time to stay out of our way."

Marco accepted his orders with a smile. This was what he'd joined the organization for. The opportunity to show people he was better than them. And the ultimate statement was made by killing them.

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	4. Chapter 3: Daily Life

Chapter 3: Daily Life 

Tenchi paused momentarily, leaning on the hoe he'd been using in the carrot field. He wiped his brow with the sleeve of his shirt, and then chuckled at the sight of the sleeping Ryo-Ohki. Somehow she always managed to wake up in time to go to the fields with him right away, but she inevitably fell asleep again once they got there. His jacket made a convenient place for the small cabbit to nap before waking up to "help" Tenchi with the fields.

She'd started coming to the fields with him a few months ago. According to Ryoko she wanted to help him out, since they had so many fields now for growing her carrots. Tenchi had hesitantly allowed it, but things had worked out fairly well, she actually napped much of the time. She would spend some time helping Tenchi after she did wake up, then her attention would wander and she would run around and play. All in all, her help probably canceled out with the time Tenchi lost having to chase her down again when she started running away. He didn't mind though, seeing her playing happily like a small child always brought a smile to his face.

Settling back into the rhythm of the work again, Tenchi let his mind wander as much as it could without interfering. As often happened, he found himself thinking about some of the things he had done with his mother and father when he was just a small child. He remembered how his mother had often been forced to chase him down, much like he now found himself chasing Ryo-Ohki frequently.

He suspected being a parent wasn't exactly like what he felt for Ryo-Ohki, but he thought he had a pretty good idea what it would be like now. The constant glances over to make sure she was still there, the laughing as she lost her balance when she was running too fast, the comforting hugs when she got hurt somehow. It all felt very natural for Tenchi, he couldn't imagine the loneliness he would feel without Ryo-Ohki there, or any of the other ladies either.

'If you are not going to choose any of them, isn't that also a choice?' His grandfather's voice intruded on his thoughts again. He couldn't shake those feelings now, he knew that telling the girls was the right thing to do, but he couldn't bring himself to do it. If he did, they were all going to leave, they wouldn't have any reason to stay any more. Facing Kagato hadn't caused him a fraction of the terror he felt at facing a life without his new family.

--

Kiyone sipped her tea as she watched Sasami busily fixing everything she would need to bring lunch out to Tenchi and Ryo-Ohki in the fields. She moved with such efficiency Kiyone was astounded. She looked much older, but everyone kept insisting she was only thirteen years old. Kiyone couldn't remember much any more about what she'd been doing at that age, but she certainly hadn't been preparing meals for a house of eight people.

She was setting her tea down and standing up to offer her help to Sasami when the younger girl tripped while spinning to wash off the knife she'd just used. Kiyone acted instantly and grabbed Sasami by the shoulder, catching her before she could fall, but receiving a nick on the arm from the knife. She sucked in her breath at the sharp pain, but got it under control quickly. She'd suffered a lot worse than that small gash in her time as a Galaxy Police officer.

Sasami's eyes widened in surprise as she watched the blood start to flow out of the cut, then she turned and threw the knife into the sink. She grabbed the nearest towel, and pressed it hard against the cut.

"I'm so sorry Kiyone! Here, can you hold this tight? I'll go get Washu, she'll fix it up. I'm so sorry." Tears leaked from Sasami's eyes as she made her apologies to Kiyone, then she dashed out the door.

"It's all Ari." Kiyone barely managed a response before Sasami had vanished, leaving her holding the towel on her cut. All it really needed was something to help close the cut and a bandage, surely they had that type of thing around here without having to drag Washu out of her lab. Kiyone wasn't sure she wanted Washu looking at her too carefully, to be honest about it. You could never be sure what she was doing, you just had to trust she was doing what she said she was.

Kiyone wrapped the towel around her arm, and managed to tie it off so she wouldn't have to hang onto it any longer. If she could just manage to slip out before Sasami got back with Washu, she could surely find the simple medical supplies she needed. If worse came to worse, she could always pull the shuttle out of subspace and take care of things there. She stepped through the kitchen door and headed for the stairs.

"Oh, hi Kiyone. What'cha doing?" Mihoshi's voice called from behind Kiyone.

"Uh, hi Mihoshi. I was just going to go look for a bandage actually. I got a scratch in the kitchen."

"Oh, my! You should have Washu look at that, Kiyone. She's the best, she can fix anything."

"It's just a small cut, Mihoshi, I really don't need Washu to..."

Washu's voice broke in, "Need me to what? And it's Little Washu, I've already told you that. Honestly, the people in this house can't follow the simplest instructions."

Washu was regarding Kiyone from just outside the door to her lab, a frightened looking Sasami at her side. Kiyone stifled the urge to glare at Sasami, the girl didn't really deserve it even if she was making unwanted trouble for Kiyone.

"Um, yes, well, I guess since you're here, I have this little cut on my arm, but really it's no big deal. I can just go find a bandage and it'll take care of itself eventually."

Mihoshi said, "Kiyone! Stop that, you're being silly. Let Miss Washu..."

"Little Washu!" called Washu.

Mihoshi continued, "...take a look at that arm, you don't want to get another scar do you?"

"I like my scars Mihoshi, they're reminders of all the mistakes I've made. One more is no big deal." Kiyone was actually fairly proud of most of them. The ones she had were all taken in the line of duty, from successful cases. One of them was from the case that had earned her the promotion to First Class Detective, though she never let anyone else see it due to its location.

"Well, since Sasami has dragged me out here already, I might as well take a look, don't you think?" Washu moved in close to pull the towel off of Kiyone's arm. "Well, isn't that cute. It sure is a bleeder, but you could do worse than that."

Washu materialized her keyboard, typed in a few keystrokes, and everyone turned to watch a small patch of some jelly-looking material pop out of subspace into Washu's hand. She proceeded to smear it on Kiyone's arm.

Kiyone gasped at the feeling of cold from whatever it was Washu smeared on her arm, then relaxed as the sensation faded away. She looked at her arm, and it was clearly already at work fixing up the cut.

"Thanks Washu, you really didn't need to," said Kiyone.

"No problem, really. Actually, since you're here, I probably ought to give you a full checkup. Get myself a baseline to work with and all, you never know when it might be needed." Washu keyed a few more times, and suddenly the little yellow bot was in her hands. "Here we go, now you can just relax Kiyone, I'll just put this on your head. Umm, you know this is a lot easier when you stand still."

"I'm not sure I really need you to do that for me, Little Washu." Kiyone continued backing away, eying the device warily.

"Oh really, Kiyone, stop being such a baby. Here, you can try it on me Washu," said Mihoshi, grabbing the yellow bot and placing it on her head. "Now how do I turn it on? Is it this button here?"

"Aauugghh! Don't do that Mihoshi! No, don't push that," Washu screamed.

(BLEEP, BLOOP, BUZZ, POP)

"Umm, Washu, I think something is wrong with your little robot thing. It seems to have stopped working." Mihoshi eyed the smoking yellow robot in her hands, before offering it back to Washu.

"No, you keep it Mihoshi. I'll make another." Washu walked away, clenching her fists.

Looking at the bot again, Mihoshi said, "Oh, I don't really know what to do with one of these. It is kind of cute, though. Maybe Yukinojo would like someone to talk to when we're not around. I wonder if Washu would fix it for me?"

"Uh, Mihoshi? Yukinojo doesn't get lonely. He's just a computer." Kiyone eyed her partner, the irritation obvious in her eyes.

"I suppose you're right, Kiyone. Well, I'll go put this in my room then," Mihoshi said as she too walked away.

Kiyone looked at Sasami, noting the traces of fright still remaining on the girl's face. Easing the girl's discomfort was apparently not going to come easily. Redirecting that concern was likely to be the best approach in the current situation.

"Well, Sasami, shall we go back to the kitchen? I'll help you finish lunch, and then you can take me out to the fields where Tenchi's working like you promised."

"Wh-what? Oh, yeah, Tenchi will be getting hungry soon. We should hurry up." Sasami turned back to the kitchen and disappeared through the door.

Smiling to herself, Kiyone trailed behind.

--

Ryoko stretched and yawned in her place on the rafter, finally deciding to face the day. Tenchi had snuck out early again, so she'd immediately gone back to sleep, not deeming anything but Tenchi worthy of her time in the morning. She glanced around, noticing that everyone was gone now. She'd kept quiet, even with all the ruckus earlier between Washu, Sasami, and Mihoshi. And the new lady. The pretty new lady. The pretty new lady who seemed to like Tenchi, or at least something about him.

Ryoko teleported herself to the storage closet and grabbed a bottle of Sake on her way to the onsen. The desire to vent some frustration caused her to alter her course up to the mezzanine, knowing she'd probably find Ayeka there sewing something. As she expected, Ayeka was quietly mending a small tear in what looked to be some of Sasami's old clothes. They weren't likely to fit anyone anymore, except maybe Washu, but Washu wouldn't need any clothes fixed.

"Hey, Princess. Interested in a soak?" Ryoko asked, waving the bottle of Sake in front of herself.

Ayeka answered without looking up from her sewing, "I'm obviously busy right now Ryoko. Some of us actually do chores around this house, you know. And it's much too early to be drinking, any way, even for you."

Turning, and floating slowly towards the stairs, Ryoko said, "Ah, well, if that's the way you want it, I guess I can figure out how to handle Kiyone myself." She heard Ayeka's footsteps shortly, and barely contained the snicker which tried to escape.

Falling in beside Ryoko, Ayeka said, "Actually, now that you mention it, I could stand a bath. I swept the dock earlier, and I'm a little dusty."

"Yeah, it'd be a shame for that skin of yours to get all messed up," said Ryoko, rolling her eyes.

"Quite."

A quick stop at Ayeka's room for clothes, and the two headed for the onsen, stripping and settling into the hot water. Ryoko quickly filled two dishes, offered one to Ayeka, and not waiting, downed the other herself. No sooner was she filling her own than Ayeka was holding out her own for a refill.

Ryoko asked, "Too early, hm?"

"Yes, well, it wouldn't be polite to turn down a freely-offered drink, would it?" answered Ayeka.

"Of course, it's all about good manners, isn't it? So, down to business. What are we gonna do? It's hard enough trying to keep Mihoshi and Washu away from him. Now there's another one, and she likes him I think. Did you see her reaction when she met Tenchi?"

"Well, yes I did. I'm not sure exactly what it meant, but we should probably assume the worst. You're overlooking something, though. She might be the least of our problems. She just met him." Ayeka downed another dish, and handed it back to Ryoko for a refill.

"What's that supposed to mean? It's bad enough you being here, but how's another girl moving in the least of our problems?" Ryoko downed her glass, then filled both hers and Ayeka's.

"You're overlooking the more immediate problem who's been living here just as long as you and me."

"Huh? Mihoshi?"

"No."

"Washu?"

"No."

"But that's everyone... wait a minute. You don't mean, Sasami?"

"Exactly! Have you noticed anything different about her lately, Ryoko?"

"Well, she hides it pretty well, but she's been a little clumsy. Other than that, no."

"How old is she?"

"I don't know. I'm not a good judge. I didn't grow up the same as other people, you know."

Downing another dish, Ayeka asked with a roll of her eyes, "How old is Lord Tenchi?"

"Let's see, he'd be about... nineteen, I suppose. So?"

"And how old was he when you met him?"

"Fifteen, right?"

"And my sister was how old?"

"Eight or nine, right?"

"So how old would she be now?"

"About thirteen, I suppose. Enough with the questions already." Ryoko quickly drained another dish, then blinked as only a few drops came out when she tried to refill it.

"So, she should still be a young girl, right? Well, why is it she's taller than me already?"

"I don't know. You're the one asking all the questions, you answer them for once."

"It's because she's sixteen years old. At least that's what Washu says."

"What? But that's impossible, I mean, isn't it?"

"Apparently not. And how old would you say Tsunami looked?"

"Oh, I dunno. Twentyish?"

"As I thought, also. So, if Sasami is supposed to be thirteen, but actually sixteen, and she'll probably assimilate completely when she's around twenty, how long before she looks like Tsunami?"

Ryoko blinked hard, then said, "A couple years, maybe?"

"That would depend on how long she's been aging so quickly, wouldn't it? It's possible that it won't be more than a few months. Actually, she already looks quite a bit like Tsunami, don't you think?"

"But, but, that's not fair. Tenchi was supposed to be mine before she ever got to that point."

Ayeka just scowled at Ryoko, not even bothering to argue the point. She was thinking the same thing, and disputing Ryoko at the moment wouldn't solve anything.

Flopping back in the water, Ryoko wailed, "So what are we gonna do?"

"Well, I don't plan to give up. I don't suppose you will?" Ryoko just scowled back at her. "No, too bad. Any way, I for one plan to do something about it. I think the best thing now is to find out what it is Tenchi wants, don't you think?"

"Hmmm, I think I see where this is going. You want me to spy on him, don't you?"

"No, Ryoko, I want us to spy on him. That's the only way it'll be fair. Instead of stopping each other, we work together, at least until we find out what Tenchi wants. Then it's back to usual. Agreed?"

Ryoko stared hard at Ayeka, trying to decide if she was being honest. Unable to detect any dishonesty, she held out her hand. "Agreed."

--

Kiyone kept turning from side to side as she walked, taking in the incredible sights of the little valley where the Masaki fields apparently were. The view was breathtaking, she'd rarely spent any time on a planet since joining the GP, not counting the undercover assignment. That had only shown her the inside of a warehouse in general.

Sasami bounced along ahead of her, walking quickly. She appeared to be in a rush to get to wherever they were going, and Kiyone suspected the reason was Tenchi. Mihoshi hadn't been kidding when she'd mentioned that all of the ladies seemed to be interested in him. It was a lot more subtle with everyone besides Ryoko and Ayeka, but it was easy to spot in Sasami. She glanced at him constantly when he was around, and she probably didn't realize she was doing it.

Kiyone wasn't quite sure what it was everyone seemed to see in him. He was sort of cute in his way, but he didn't do much to really attract your notice. He seemed to fade into the background actually, you almost didn't notice he was there.

"Hiya, Tenchi." Sasami started running down the far side of a hill from Kiyone, obviously having finally reached the point where she could see Tenchi. Kiyone kept her pace the same, allowing Sasami a brief moment alone with Tenchi before she would have to interrupt.

Kiyone smiled as she saw Sasami moving in close to hold out Tenchi's lunch to him, so she started down the hill. The young girl was definitely smitten, but also just as obviously unsure how to act. She almost leaned towards Tenchi when he took the lunch from her hands and even from the distance away that she was, Kiyone could see the smile break out on Sasami's face at a word from Tenchi.

As Kiyone neared, it became clear Ryo-Ohki was probably not doing much to help Tenchi. She was chasing after what was likely a frog or toad from the starts and stops in Ryo-Ohki's movements, and the small hoe which she would presumably have used was lying on the ground only a short ways from Tenchi.

Seeing her approaching, Tenchi said, "Hello, Kiyone. What brings you out here? Usually it's just Sasami bringing me a snack."

Forcing her eyes away from his, Kiyone answered, "Well, I decided to help Sasami out a little today. I feel like I should be doing something to help around here, since you're letting me stay for free. It seemed like a good chance to get out and look around a bit."

Sasami beamed at Kiyone, "Yeah, she was real helpful, Tenchi. Usually only Mihoshi helps me out, and only some of the time. Thanks, Kiyone."

Tenchi chuckled, "Looks like you've already been adopted by Sasami. She makes a pretty good mother once you get used to her strict rules. Her cooking makes up for it, though."

Kiyone laughed as Sasami stuck out her tongue at Tenchi. She could see why Mihoshi liked living here, even if it didn't really make any sense to Kiyone. They were all pretty nice, in their own strange ways.

Glancing around, Kiyone said, "You've got quite a set of fields out here. Do you tend them all by yourself, or does Ryo-Ohki actually help out when she's not chasing frogs?"

Tenchi turned to look for Ryo-Ohki, and shook his head when he finally spotted her. "She does actually do a little work occasionally, but she gets distracted pretty easily."

Tenchi walked over and then gently guided Ryo-Ohki back to the place where Sasami and Kiyone were standing. He opened the lunch Sasami had brought and handed the carrot from inside to Ryo-Ohki.

"Miya!" Ryo-Ohki cried, quickly transforming back to her cabbit form to munch away.

Kiyone opened the lunch she'd been carrying, and quickly divvied up the food between Sasami and herself. When she had finished, Kiyone turned to Sasami to say, "Delicious, as usual. I've only been here a few days, and not a single meal has been less than wonderful. Where did you learn to cook like that, Sasami?"

Sasami answered, her cheeks reddening, "My grandmother Seto taught me. I didn't have many people to play with, but she always found time to spend with me when I needed it. She always said it was good to know how to do things for yourself. She also said that men couldn't res...," Sasami broke off with an embarrassed glance at Tenchi, who seemed not to notice.

"She sounds like a smart woman. I know I'll never be able to cook like you already can, Sasami." Kiyone smirked as she glanced at Tenchi. "Tenchi's a lucky guy to have you around to cook for him."

"Huh? What? Oh, yeah, absolutely. Actually, I think I'm getting fat." Tenchi laughed as Sasami's blush deepened further.

Kiyone looked at him carefully, then caught herself and looked away, blushing slightly herself. "I, uh, don't think you have to worry about getting fat, Tenchi. With all the work you do, and the practicing with, ah, Yosho, it's amazing you're not a toothpick."

"Yeah, I suppose so. Well, I should get back to work. You ready, Ryo-Ohki?" Tenchi handed the remains of the lunch back to Sasami.

Kiyone asked quietly, "Um, if it's okay with you, Tenchi, could I stay and help? Like I said, I feel like I should do something to help out around here."

Sasami saw Tenchi stiffen, and cried, "Oh, but, Kiyone, you don't need to stay here with Tenchi..."

"She's right, Kiyone, there's really no need for that." Tenchi turned back to her, the surprise evident in his eyes.

"No really. I want to, I feel like a freeloader. Please?" Kiyone asked.

Tenchi regarded her, apparently attempting to gauge her seriousness. Seeing whatever it was he needed to see, he nodded his assent.

"I suppose if you really want to, I'm not going to try and stop you, Kiyone. Actually, having an extra set of eyes out here to watch Ryo-Ohki would be helpful. Can you carry everything back okay, Sasami. It's not too much?"

"I, well, I guess I can Tenchi. Are you sure?" Sasami looked at Kiyone with questioning in her eyes. "Tenchi usually does this by himself, he's never really asked any of us to help him before. Ryo-Ohki just comes cause she eats so many carrots, and she likes being around..." Sasami broke off, her eyes widening momentarily. "Oh, well, I guess I should get back then. Bye Tenchi. Bye Ryo-Ohki. Bye Kiyone." Sasami started walking back to the house.

Tenchi watched her with a vaguely puzzled look on his face, then turned back to Kiyone. "Well, I guess we should get to work. How much do you know about growing carrots?"

--

Ryoko floated along next to Ayeka as they made their way back to the house after their bath. She turned turned to Ayeka and asked again, "Are you sure about this? Spying on Tenchi? What if he finds out? What if the others find out?"

Ayeka sighed before answering, "Don't think of it as spying, Ryoko. We're just observing him carefully to see what it is Tenchi might like without interfering with each other like usual. Tenchi's not likely to notice anything, and if the others do notice, we just say we're watching out for Tenchi. It's a very simple plan, actually."

"I don't know, Ayeka, it seems too easy. Something's bound to go wrong."

"You just don't like it since it was my idea, Ryoko. Trust me, it'll work. We have to do something, any way, there's too much at stake."

"Yeah, I suppose. If anything goes wrong, I'm blaming everything on you."

Ayeka just sniffed, and walked down the stairs to the main area. Mihoshi was already there, with the TV turned on to one of those strange shows she liked to watch which nobody else found particularly funny. They were about to go sit down by the blonde detective when Sasami came into the house carrying the remains of the lunch she'd presumably just brought out to Tenchi.

Sasami addressed all of them, "Oh, hello Ayeka, Ryoko, Mihoshi. It looks like everyone has their chores done already?" Ayeka and Mihoshi nodded, Ryoko just looked away. "Good. Ryoko, can you and Mihoshi go to the store and get me some groceries? I'm running low on a few things, I'll make a list for you."

Ryoko answered, "Uh sure, Sasami, I guess I can do that. We need some more Sake, anyway, we seem to have run out. Say, blondie, where's that partner of yours?"

Mihoshi blinked a couple times, then answered, "She was with Sasami the last I saw her. What happened to her, Sasami?"

"I took her... that is, she, uh, stayed to help Tenchi work, out in the fields." Sasami fidgeted under everyone's gaze, looking at the door to the kitchen.

"SHE WHAT? She's out in the fields alone with Tenchi. Why, that hussy. I didn't think she'd make a move on him this fast. I'm gonna go and..." Ryoko started heading for the door, only to be restrained by Ayeka.

"Ryoko, she's out there helping Tenchi working in the fields, right? Ryo-Ohki is there, just check with her to see what's happening. No need to go rushing out there and making a big scene over nothing." Ayeka looked at Ryoko hard, hoping she would get the hint that now was not the right time to be flying around making trouble in that way.

"Oh, I suppose you're right, Ayeka. Hang on a second."

Ryoko's eyes seemed to lose focus a tiny bit, and she quieted and stilled. Using the opportunity, Ayeka turned to Mihoshi. "So, Mihoshi, what's Kiyone really like? We don't really know much about her, but you certainly would. What kinds of things does she like to do, what kind of family does she have. Anything that might help us get an idea of what we might do to help her feel welcome?"

"Oh, that's so nice of you, Ayeka. Well, let's see. She likes to work, really. That's what she spends most of her time at, she hardly takes time for anything else. We almost never went out to do anything fun, we were usually so tired that we spent most of our time off catching up on sleep." That earned her some rolled eyes from Ayeka. "She never really liked going shopping like I did, she almost never dated. She did usually seem to fall for younger men for some reason."

"Younger men, huh? Well, she should fit in pretty well around here, then." Washu's voice startled all of the ladies, causing everyone to jump.

Ryoko growled, "What exactly is that supposed to mean, Washu?"

"Tsk, tsk. I'll only answer to you when you call me mother, Ryoko."

"Oh, Washu, hello. What brings you out? Did you want some lunch?" Sasami again looked to the kitchen, obviously in hopes of escaping.

"Actually, that would be wonderful Sasami. I was getting a little hungry, and my experiment can manage itself for a little while; as long as Mihoshi's out here that is." Washu looked carefully at Mihoshi, as if to convince herself that Mihoshi was in fact right there in front of her.

"Okay, I'll go put something together, Washu. It should only take a few minutes if something cold is okay?" Sasami started towards the kitchen, hesitating at the door.

Crossing her arms, Ryoko sniffed, "So what was that comment supposed to mean, 'mother'?"

Gazing back with indifference, Washu said, "Surely even you could figure that out, Ryoko. How could someone produced by my own ovum be so dense? Obviously what I meant was all the girls around here seem to be attracted to younger men. Well, all but one that is." Washu turned to look at Sasami, who squeaked and disappeared into the kitchen.

"That's hardly polite, M... Little Washu. Speaking about peoples' age that way." Ayeka tossed her head with a sniff.

"True is true, it doesn't matter what you say. Except for Sasami, we're all older than Tenchi. Tough beans." Washu turned back to the other ladies. "So then, what's all this about? Scoping out the competition, are we?"

Mihoshi frowned, then answered, "Competition? No, no, Ayeka was just asking about Kiyone so we could try and make her feel more at home. Let's see, where was I? I'm not sure, but I think she has a couple older sisters and a younger brother. Her parents ran a store back home, I believe. Was there anything else?"

Washu was carefully watching Ayeka the whole time, Ayeka blushing slightly under her gaze. "Well, there you have it, Ayeka. So what were you planning to do with that information? Throw Kiyone a welcoming party?"

"Oooh, a party, that would be fun," said Mihoshi, her eyes almost glittering with excitement.

"Ah, no actually, it was really more reference than anything. Just trying to make sure we don't say anything wrong that might offend her." Ayeka tried to avoid Washu's gaze.

"Say anything wrong about what?" asked Ryoko.

"Ryoko, er, aren't you and Mihoshi supposed to be going to the store for groceries. Why don't you go get that list from Sasami." Ayeka started hustling Ryoko towards the kitchen.

"But, don't you want to know about..." Ryoko started.

"No, no, I'm sure you'll bore me with the information some other time, Ryoko. You really should get going." Ayeka pushed Ryoko at the kitchen door. Ryoko had enough presence of mind to phase before flying into it from the force of Ayeka's shove.

"Well, I guess I should get ready to go too, if I'm going with her. Oh, darn, I had another show I wanted to watch this afternoon, too." Mihoshi stood up and headed for the kitchen herself. She passed Ayeka on her way before disappearing behind the kitchen door.

Washu watched Ayeka carefully the whole time. It was obvious that the purple-haired princess was up to something, and Ryoko was in on it, and just as obvious that they didn't want anyone else to find out. Washu made a mental note to check the video she had monitoring everyone's movements around the house more carefully for a while, in particular those two.

Ayeka calmly walked back from the kitchen door, heading for the stairs. "Well, I really should get back to my sewing. I've got a lot to keep me busy today."

Washu watched her disappearing up the stairs, chuckling the whole time. It would be interesting watching Ayeka and Ryoko to see how Kiyone's presence affected them. Her smile quickly failed with that thought in mind, however. She hadn't made any progress with Tenchi either, and another girl in the house wouldn't help her out any. Especially with Sasami's new situation as well.

Washu headed towards the kitchen to get her lunch before disappearing back into her lab. She sat down at her terminal, and stared off into the distance, leaving her lunch untouched.

--

Tenchi knelt down to once again demonstrate for Ryo-Ohki the proper way to use the hoe. A few shaky tries by Ryo-Ohki, and then he was standing up and nodding his encouragement to her as she slowly started getting into a rhythm. Tenchi smiled and patted her on the back, before turning back to continue his own work.

Kiyone smiled to herself. Tenchi's patience had been amazing. Kiyone would have gone nuts if she'd been the one out here trying to keep Ryo-Ohki under control, let alone trying to teach her how to do any actual work. Tenchi had been forced to chase the little girl down at least a half dozen times as she chased after one thing or another. Every time Tenchi had caught up to her, he gently reminded her that she needed to be careful, and then guided her back to the spot where he was working. A quick lesson, and then the two would be working again until the next animal or insect wandered by.

Kiyone continued her own work, feeling the ache in her arms especially from the unaccustomed work. She knew that she was in excellent physical shape, but she was putting her muscles to use in a fashion which she hadn't been training them for. A few days of this, and she knew the strain would start to fade.

It felt good to be doing something to contribute around the house, but she wondered whether she could stand to do this day after day. It was a little monotonous for her, she preferred something a little more interesting. She planned to continue to help out in this way until she could decide on something better to earn her keep, though.

Her attention was drawn by the sight of Tenchi again chasing after a scampering Ryo-Ohki in the distance. Tenchi quickly caught her, wrapped her in a hug, and then started walking back.

As he neared, Tenchi said, "Well, that's probably enough for today. I hope you're not too sore after all of that, Kiyone. Come on, let's grab everything and head back." Tenchi set Ryo-Ohki down, and gave her a nudge. "Go get your things Ryo-Ohki, let's head back so you can play with Sasami for a while. I've got to get to practice with Grandpa."

They gathered up all the tools, and began the walk back to the house. Ryo-Ohki changed to her cabbit form, and hopped up on Kiyone's head. Tenchi managed to calm her down in time to not send Ryo-Ohki sailing through the air. A few moments later Kiyone realized it wasn't terribly unpleasant having the little cabbit on her head, albeit a little strange. The silence lingered for a long time before Kiyone finally asked, "So, Tenchi, what's it like, creating Lighthawk Wings?"

"What? Oh, hmmm, how would you describe something like that? I don't know if I can really relate it to anything. Have you ever had a dream where you're kind of standing next to yourself? Well, no, that's not quite right. I'm sorry, Kiyone, I just don't know how to describe it."

"That's okay, Tenchi. I was just wondering, that's all. It's not every day I get to talk to someone like you."

"I'm sure you've talked to lots of people much more interesting than me, Kiyone. Criminals, GP officers, aliens. There must have been tons."

"I've talked with people with more outgoing personalities than you, but none of them could create Lighthawk Wings. None of them defeated the most wanted criminal in the entire galaxy in a man-to-man duel. What was that like?"

"There wasn't much to it actually. That was the first time I ever used Lighthawk Wings, you know. I didn't even know what they were. Kagato was much more powerful than me, but I guess he wasn't counting on Lighthawk Wings. Once I created them, it was one pass, and it was all over. I'm amazed sometimes that I'm still alive. He didn't have time to prepare himself for the Wings, though. It wasn't really anything special on my part, he just wasn't ready."

Kiyone just walked in silence for a while longer. Tenchi was very unusual. He wanted to brush off his accomplishments and abilities as if they were nothing special. Kiyone knew tons of men who if they could do or had done a fraction of what Tenchi had, they'd be proclaiming themselves to be the future ruler of the galaxy.

"Tenchi, I think you're not giving yourself enough credit. What you did was amazing, no matter what you think. You should be proud of what you've done."

"Well, I am, I suppose, but grandpa always says 'Past victories won't win your next fight.' He's right about that, so I try not to think much about what I've done, cause next time around things might be different."

Kiyone laughed, "Grandpa. Crown Prince of Jurai, the most powerful world in the galaxy, and to you he's just grandpa. You've got quite the life, don't you? I think I'm starting to understand why you like to just hide out here."

Tenchi looked at her oddly, then answered, "I'm not really hiding. This is just where I want to be. I didn't grow up knowing I was a Juraian prince. I grew up a small-town boy in Japan, and I'd just assume keep to that."

Laughing even harder, Kiyone responded, "Small-town boy, huh? How many of the other boys you grew up around live in a house with a bunch of alien women, most of whom have the hots for him?"

Tenchi blushed furiously, and anchored his gaze in the distance. Kiyone continued to chuckle the rest of the way back.

--

Yosho eyed the papers in his hands, wondering what to say. His son-in-law came up with some interesting ideas sometimes. Yosho had hinted that they ought to see what could be done to prompt Tenchi in finalizing his decisions regarding the girls. He hadn't anticipated Nobuyuki coming up with something like this, however.

He pulled the drawing out from under the note Nobuyuki had written and looked at it carefully. It didn't look too bad, but that wasn't surprising. Nobuyuki was a pretty good architect.

He read the note one more time, then put the papers away to think. While it might help Tenchi out, the problem was still getting Tenchi to realize he needed to do something.

--

Marco Manetti put the picture back in his pocket and leaned back in his chair to wait, the glass of wine untouched in front of him. The sound of the surf in the background never registered with his senses, they were devoted to other activities at the moment. Six people had to die, and number one was going to shortly if his investigations had gotten him the right information.

He picked up the wine glass and made a pretense of sipping it. He didn't like waiting in the open like this, but this was the first reliable lead he'd had, and the best place to try and spot his first victim. A tourist planet, famous for its perfect beaches, was not the easiest place to kill someone, but it was easier to go unnoticed in the huge crowds when waiting around. He'd picked the little seaside cafe, guessing it was the best place to spot his quarry, everyone walked by this spot eventually.

He scanned every person that walked by, not seeing the person he wanted to yet. Jun Handa. He'd been the top surveillance person on the operation which had caught Luigi. He was likely to be the toughest to take out because of that, and that was the reason Marco targeted him first.

Without warning, Jun walked by, his arm around a pretty young lady in a blue swimsuit. Marco let them go by, then slowly rose, and dropped some money on the table, making sure it was the right amount. Always leave the right amount, otherwise you risked making a scene.

Marco started off down a different path than Jun and his lady, one which ran approximately the same direction. He eased into the relaxed, purposeful stride which indicated he knew where he was going. It helped to avoid drawing curious eyes as best he could with his size.

Marco never lost sight of his target, even though he was quite a distance away at all times. A ten minute walk finally brought Jun and the lady to a small cottage, and they paused outside while the lady fumbled in her bag for the key. Marco smiled, things couldn't have been better. He'd expected them to be staying in a crowded hotel, which always left the possibility of being spotted at the wrong time. This secluded little place, with only a few similar cottages spread around with huge amounts of trees and bushes for cover would make things much easier.

The two people disappeared inside, and Marco continued walking past without glancing over. He continued down the path until he was sure nobody could see him, then he quickly trotted off the path and into the cover of the trees. He scanned all directions, waiting for a few other tourists to wander past, and when everything was clear, he moved again, running across the brush to drop into the bushes at the foot of the cottage Handa was now inside. He scuttled around the back of the cottage, but couldn't find any other entrance besides the front door, and resigned himself to the direct approach.

He waited until he heard the sound of squeals coming from the lady, and he quickly stepped out from the house, turned, and kicked in the front door. It burst out of the frame, and Marco was in like a flash, a knife in one hand, his energy sword not yet ignited in the other. He hardly even glanced at the lady who was staring in shock at him as he rushed into the room. He cuffed her as he passed, and jumped at the man he'd been pursuing, only to come up short at the sight of the gun against his chest.

"Well, I was right. You're pretty good, I wasn't really sure until just now that I was being followed. Manetti, right? I suppose I should have expected this, but I didn't think you'd come after us this fast. Go get in the bathroom, Sue." Jun Handa indicated the small door at the back with his head, his eyes never leaving the knife in Marco's hand.

The girl disappeared, and Marco kept the smile off of his face. "You didn't think we'd let what you did to the family go unpunished, did you? A little more caution would have been a good idea. Too bad, you're pretty skilled if you noticed me."

"That's what I get paid for. The boys are gonna go nuts when I bring you in."

Marco thumbed a switch on his energy sword, and a humming sound filled the air momentarily. The suddenly-dead GP officer slumped to the floor, a small hole in his chest. "Bring me in. Please. You should have just killed me, and worried about explaining things later." Marco shut down the blade again. "Nobody ever recognizes my energy sword in time."

Marco checked the hilt to make sure no blood was on it, even though he knew there wouldn't be. The wounds always cauterized around the blade so no blood ever splashed. He stepped back, looked at the door the girl had disappeared behind, and decided a witness wasn't a good idea yet. He quietly walked over to the door and placed the hilt of his energy sword against it. He ignited it one more time quickly, then stepped back and to the side on the off chance he hadn't killed her and she had a gun. Hearing nothing but the thud of her body hitting the floor, Marco put his weapons away and stepped out to the front door. Seeing no one in sight he quickly made his way back out to the path he'd originally walked out on.

He smiled as he headed back, savoring the moment surprise had hit Handa's eyes. He still got a thrill from that moment, even after all this time and all those victims. One down, five more to go.

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	5. Chapter 4: Memories

Chapter 4: Memories 

Nobuyuki knelt on the mat across from his father-in-law, sipping tea. The inside of the shrine office was still bare of most furnishings, just offering the few items needed to keep things in order. Yosho eyed him from across the table, his gaze unreadable as it often was. He hadn't said much since arriving, hoping that Yosho would be the one to speak first, but apparently his father-in-law had similar plans. Mustering his courage, he cleared his throat in preparation.

"Well, father? Do you think it will work?"

Yosho looked back, and then sipped his own tea without answering.

Nobuyuki continued, "It seems like the kind of thing Tenchi would want. He's afraid of doing anything to upset the girls, he'll want some privacy for starters. Rea and I do need someplace to stay when we come out, the house is much too crowded already. Honestly, the floor here in the shrine isn't all that comfortable, and I don't want Tenchi to have to put any of the ladies out, either."

Sipping his tea again, Yosho finally said, "Mmmmmm. He's still hopeless. It'll take more than that to get him to do anything. He might take advantage of it eventually, but he'll need to decide for himself that that's what he wants."

Nobuyuki sighed and nodded his agreement. "You're right, I suppose. How he can manage it with all those ladies around still amazes me. I guess we'll have to think of something else. I'm going to go ahead and do it any way, though. It'll be nice to sleep in a bed when we come to visit."

Yosho just nodded, then watched Nobuyuki rise and turn to leave. Just before he left, Yosho said, "Perhaps if the girls were to do something to show Tenchi that they really cared." He then raised his glass of tea to his lips again.

Nobuyuki closed the door behind himself as he left, a smile growing on his face as an idea formed.

--

Washu skipped through her monitor logs, the device set to auto-pause every time Ayeka or Ryoko made an appearance. So far she had observed nothing unusual about the two, they both seemed to be around Tenchi whenever he wasn't busy. That was hardly unusual. There was nothing to indicate any machinations towards Kiyone yet.

She scanned forward some more, and something started tickling the back of her mind, but she couldn't quite place what was bothering her. Just more of the same, Ayeka and Ryoko hanging around Tenchi as often as possible. There just wasn't anything unusual about the two of them being around Tenchi, and they were completely ignoring Kiyone for the most part. They hadn't done anything even remotely interesting in all of the logs that Washu had looked through, in fact. Nothing interesting from those two meant...

Washu leaned forward, watching the two even more carefully. Her excitement grew as she watched the monitor a bit longer, she knew what it was they were up to finally. A smile formed, and her strange cackling laugh escaped without her conscious thought.

Washu spoke to herself quietly, "Well, well, I see now. You two hope that by working together for a while, you'll be able to find out what Tenchi wants. Then you'd be able to leave the rest of us behind and work on him with an advantage. It's actually not a bad plan, and it might have worked if I weren't the genius that I am."

Washu cackled again, and sat back to consider what to do. The most obvious thing was to make sure she found out whatever it was that they found out. But to really make the two pay for their scheming, it would be even better if everyone found out whatever they did, but without it being obvious that Washu was the reason everyone found out.

Washu glanced at her monitor again, and saw Ryoko and Ayeka looking excitedly down from the stairs at Tenchi sitting in the living room with his father. This might be it, the moment those two were after, now the best thing to do was to somehow get everyone else out there as well.

She flipped through the screens, checking where everyone was. Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki were napping in Mihoshi's room, and interestingly, Kiyone was in the onsen with Sasami. That wasn't important right now, but getting everyone out to spoil Ryoko and Ayeka's plans was.

Washu clicked a few keys, orienting one of her doorways on the onsen so she could make a quick trip without warning her two victims. Once more her cackling laugh sounded, as Washu disappeared through the door.

--

Nobuyuki rang the doorbell to the house, waiting before entering. He really didn't have to, it was still technically his house, but he'd decided when he moved back to town that he'd give the family a bit of independence. Tenchi opened the door, and was obviously surprised by his father's presence.

"Dad, what brings you out here? I wasn't expecting you at all until maybe the weekend. Well, come in, the girls are all off doing something, so we can talk in the living room if you want? I'll make some tea."

"No, Tenchi, I'm only here for a little bit. I wanted to stop and say something to you and father though. I have a little news, and I thought your grandfather should be the one to say yes or no. I already had some tea with him. Come on, let's go sit down. We never get to talk, just you and me any more."

Tenchi walked into the living room, leaving the comfiest seat for his father and instead sitting on the couch. Once they were seated, Tenchi said, "So, you have news then?"

"Yes, son, I do. I've been thinking a bit, and well, this house is even more crowded than ever. Rea and I like to come and visit, but when we do it causes quite a disturbance. Someone gets moved out of their room and into another girl's. It's not fair to any of you."

"You're not saying you're not coming to visit any more, dad?" Tenchi's face showed his concern.

"No, no, son. That's not it," Nobuyuki chuckled. "No, what I mean is that I'm going to build a little house down the shore a ways, kind of a guest house, so Rea and I can come visit when we want to, without worrying."

"Oh... That's a good idea dad. You know you're welcome to stay here of course, but I'm sure the girls will be happy they don't have to shuffle around from now on. Are you sure that's what you want to do? Why not just put another addition on this house?"

"Ah, well, you know, it's kind of nice to have a little privacy, if you know what I mean?" Nobuyuki laughed as Tenchi's face turned bright red. "You know, you could probably put it to use yourself, when we're not visiting. A quiet dinner with one of the girls, a little romance...."

"DAD!"

Tenchi's face had grown redder, and it was evident from his voice he didn't want to talk about those kinds of things with his father. Nobuyuki chuckled some more, and moved on, knowing Tenchi was going to avoid any more conversation along those lines. "Well, son, what do you think? It's okay with you then?" Tenchi nodded. "Good, I think I'll get started on the plans. Actually, I was wondering if you might ask Miss Washu if she could handle the actual construction? It'll go up a lot faster that way, and it might save us a bit of money."

"Uh, sure, I guess I can do that. You'll have to check it out when she's done to make sure she doesn't make any 'improvements' to it though."

"Fine, fine. I'm glad, Tenchi. It'll be nice, we'll probably come visit on Sundays more often." Nobuyuki reclined, and his eyes focused off into space for a while. "Do you think your mother would approve, Tenchi?"

--

Washu walked into the onsen quietly, curious what the two ladies might be talking about. She wasn't going to listen for long, but it never hurt to keep your ears open. Most important was getting them out, though.

"So you're gonna be a goddess some day, then? First a princess, then a goddess. I'm not sure, but I think I might be jealous." Kiyone laughed at the sheepish look from Sasami. Neither noticed Washu entering the onsen.

"Well, I suppose you could say that. I never think about it that way, though. Right now I just like being here and cooking dinner for everyone, and I really don't know when I'm going to merge with Tsunami, that could still be a long ways away." Sasami adjusted one of the bags holding her long ponytails out of the water, avoiding Kiyone's gaze.

"Well, ladies, I hate to break this up, but I need to let you know that I'm shutting down the onsen for a bit of maintenance. Chop, chop. Everyone out." Washu stepped out into sight of the other two ladies. She had on a grease-stained jumpsuit, as if she had actually been doing some real work somewhere.

Kiyone said, "What? But we just got here, Little Washu. That's not fair." Kiyone and Sasami both stood up, their bathing towels plastered against their bodies.

"Well, you can stay in the water if you want, but don't complain to me when the gallons of cleaning solution come shooting down on top of you." Washu turned, and headed for a small door which appeared from nowhere. Kiyone and Sasami were left looking at each other, and after a few seconds, both glanced up to see a couple dark openings appear above them. They quickly scrambled out of the water, and raced into the entryway where their clothes were neatly piled.

"Geesh, she doesn't wait around for arguments, does she?" Kiyone asked.

"Not usually. Washu doesn't believe much in wasting time without a good reason. Well, I guess we dry off and go back, then. Hopefully she'll get it fixed up quick, maybe we can come back later." Sasami looked back out at the water, shivering as a torrent of red liquid came shooting down and into the pool. "I suppose I can put together a snack for everyone."

The two quickly got changed and headed back for the house. They had almost reached the top of the stairs when they noticed Ryoko and Ayeka crouching and leaning against the walls. It was obvious that they were listening to something going on below.

Sasami began a question, "Ayeka? What are you...?"

Ryoko and Ayeka jumped, and both turned and shushed her immediately. Then they both turned and peaked out to see if anyone below had noticed. They visibly relaxed as apparently they were unnoticed. Ayeka signaled Ryoko to continue listening with a nod of her head, then turned to Sasami and Kiyone.

"Shhh. Tenchi's talking with his father about his mother," Ayeka whispered.

Sasami's eyes widened, then they hardened in anger. "You shouldn't be eavesdropping, that's a private conversation. Why I ought to...." Sasami quieted as the voices started reaching her and she realized what was being said. Her eyes softened and she leaned in close to Ayeka, forgetting that she didn't approve.

Kiyone watched as the three all went back to listening, and with a look of distaste, turned and headed back for the room she shared with Mihoshi. She walked in and barely stopped herself from banging the door shut when she saw Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki napping in complete disarray. Mihoshi was hanging off the side of her futon, and Ryo-Ohki had burrowed her way into a pile of bedclothes on Kiyone's. Kiyone picked up the small cabbit and dropped her on her sleeping partner. She was working on rearranging the covers on her futon when Mihoshi woke up.

"Errrgghh! Oh, hi Kiyone. Mmmm, what a great nap. You too, Ryo-Ohki?" Mihoshi started scratching the cabbit's ears, the cabbit blissfully resting in her lap.

"Do you ever do anything except nap, Mihoshi? Or maybe you should be out there with your friends spying on Tenchi. I thought the people in this house were a little strange, but I never realized how rude they were. What's the big deal any way? So he's talking about his mother, big deal."

Kiyone continued rearranging her bed, unaware of the change coming over Mihoshi. Her eyes had gone wide, and her hands were rubbing together. Mihoshi asked, "They're all out there? Oh my." Mihoshi turned and looked at the door, and not saying anything else she quickly hurried out. Kiyone just watched her leave, shaking her head. She turned back around to find the cabbit once again burrowed up into her bedclothes.

"Aauuggh! Oh, whatever, enjoy the nap you little furball. I suppose you don't realize any better." Kiyone just sat down at the table, and picked up a book she'd started reading since moving into the house. They did have a good collection of books to choose from, even if it was mostly primitive stuff unaware of the galaxy outside.

--

Washu smiled as she saw Mihoshi finally join the others in the hallway. Now everyone would hear whatever it was Tenchi had to say. She sat back in her chair, listening in herself. Fortunately for her, she could do so from the comfort of her own lab, she didn't need to try and hide in the hallway like the rest.

Tenchi's voice drifted through her terminal, "I wonder sometimes what she'd think of the current situation, don't you, dad? I mean, how many mothers would approve of their son sharing his house with six beautiful alien women, and a spaceship that turns into a little girl?"

Nobuyuki answered, "I'm not sure exactly what your mother would have said, but I do know this. She would have trusted your judgment, just like we all do, son. She'd have known you were trying to do what you thought was right."

"Thanks, dad. I sure do miss her. I should put some flowers on her grave, it's about time I went out there again. I try and remember to, but sometimes I get so busy. Boy, it would sure be nice if I had some of those flowers mom used to like. What were they?"

"Hydrangeas."

"Yeah, that's right. It's probably too early for those, though. I couldn't find those anywhere but a botanical garden right now. The closest one would be in Okayama itself, I suppose. It'd take a whole day to get there and back." Tenchi leaned back with a sigh.

Washu changed her view to the ladies, and saw a look coming over Ryoko. She smiled, obviously her daughter had the idea she was looking for. It would be interesting to see what else might develop. The sound of sadness in Tenchi's voice again brought her focus onto he and his father.

"Do you remember that meal she used to make for me on my birthdays? I haven't had that in a long time. What was it again? I remember the octopus and noodles."

"I'd have to ask Rea, son, I'm sure she remembers better than either of us."

"Yeah, I suppose she would. What would we have done without her when mom passed away?" Tenchi shook his head slowly.

"Starved?"

"Ha, ha." Tenchi paused, obviously thinking some more. "I only kept a few things to remember her, and even those I'm having trouble with. That book of poetry she loved so much? I can't find it any more." Washu felt the tears forming in her eyes as she watched Tenchi reminiscing, the loss evident in his voice. "Just about the only thing I have to remember her by any more is that lavender yukata she used to wear. And that's so beat up now that I feel guilty when I look at it. You still remember her better than that, don't you dad?"

Nobuyuki didn't answer for a long time. He sighed before answering, "I probably do, son, but I have a lot more memories of her than you. Mine are starting to fade a bit, too. It's inevitable, even though we don't want it to be that way. I still have some of my fondest memories of her, those will never go away. When we first met, our first date, our first kiss, our wedding, having you... Well, you get the idea. I'll always remember her, even if I don't remember everything about her." Nobuyuki stood up, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, you know, I really should be leaving. I just wanted to tell you about the house and all. I need to get home, Rea will be wondering what happened to me."

"Okay, dad. Thanks for stopping. Tell Rea hello for me. Goodbye."

Tenchi and his father just faced each other for a while before Nobuyuki finally turned to leave. "Goodbye, son."

Tenchi sat on the couch thinking for a while after his father left. Memories of his mother always made him happy and sad at the same time. He couldn't remember anything about her that didn't bring a smile to his face. That was part of the problem, he knew he'd loved her so much the loss was terrific. Living with only his father and grandfather hadn't been conducive to mourning her, either. Wiping away the tears which were fighting to escape his eyes, he got up to head for the porch. He liked looking out over the lake when he was reminiscing.

Washu wiped the tears off her cheeks, and again focused her monitor on the girls. She could see the tears on everyone's cheeks, or at least in Ryoko's eyes. Mixed with those tears was a look of hope in every pair of eyes. Washu smiled, apparently Ryoko's and Ayeka's plan was going to work. It was just going to work even better than they planned.

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	6. Chapter 5: Tokens

Chapter 5: Tokens 

Ayeka looked around carefully, making sure no one else was in the hallway to see her. She looked extra carefully in the dark shadows, knowing Ryoko could be watching without her whole body being visible. Satisfied she was was alone, she quietly opened the door to Tenchi's room. She gave one last glance up and down the hallway before closing the door behind her, confident her passage had been unnoticed.

Ayeka looked around, trying to decide where to start. She'd been in his room many times, but she was almost always fighting with Ryoko when she was. She rarely got a chance to look around. She wasn't sure where Tenchi might be storing things, and she didn't want to intrude any more than she had to.

A quick glance in the closet convinced her that she wouldn't find her objective there. There wasn't much space anywhere else in the room, except for... Ayeka smiled, knowing she'd likely found what she was looking for. She approached carefully, and after deciding it wasn't locked, pulled open the trunk.

A few items she didn't recognize sat on top, and she carefully lifted them out and set them on the floor. Some shirts which were obviously too small to fit Tenchi any more also went on the floor in a neat pile. Ayeka felt her heart racing when she saw what had to be the item she'd been looking for.

She carefully pulled it out, noting with some surprise how many tears and poor seams the purple yukata had. Why would Tenchi have done something like that to an item he treasured so much instead of getting it mended properly? Whatever his reasons, he'd left a perfect opportunity for Ayeka to show him how much she cared.

Ayeka carefully placed the other items back into the trunk and closed it up again. She picked up the yukata and slowly opened the door. She checked the hallway carefully again, and once more saw no one in sight. She left the room, closing the door behind her. She quickly entered her own room, and placed the yukata underneath a small blanket she had been sewing. She would have to be careful not to let Sasami see her working on it, but if she was careful, she had the perfect plan....

--

Mihoshi swept the last few steps of the small shrine, then stopped and wiped her brow. It wasn't particularly warm today, but she'd been thinking all morning about what she was about to do and she was a little nervous.

She set the broom against the edge of the shrine's porch, and then walked up the few steps to knock politely on the door. She was greeted by a simple "Yes?" from inside, and then the door opened up to reveal Yosho's questioning face.

"Oh, Mihoshi. What can I do for you, young lady?"

Mihoshi twitched embarrassedly before answering, "Well, you see, I was wondering if you could help me. I'm looking for something. That is, Tenchi is missing something, and I thought you might be able to help me find it."

"Yes, go on." Yosho's gaze caused her to shift about even more.

"Well, it's a book of poetry, I guess. One that his mother used to like. He can't find it any more, so I thought I would see if I could. I'm kind of good at that sort of thing, finding things that are lost. Well, I seem to lose a lot of things too, but then I find them again, so I get lots of practice."

"I see. So what were you hoping I could do for you, then?" Yosho raised an eyebrow.

"Actually, I was hoping you knew what the book was. I don't know what it is actually, so I'm not sure what I need to be looking for. Unless you happen to have it of course, that would really save me a lot of work. You don't happen to have it do you?"

"No, I'm quite sure I don't have it. But I do believe I know which book you're looking for. It should be a brown book with a pink flower on the front. I believe it was called 'Love Poems of the Fugiwara Period.' It used to always be on Tenchi's shelf in his room. Why are you asking me this? Couldn't Tenchi have answered you just as easily?"

Mihoshi's face turned bright red, and she started tapping her two index fingers together. "I was hoping to keep this a secret from him actually, so I could give it to him as a small present."

"Mmmm. I'll be sure not to tell him then. Was there anything else?" At a shake of Mihoshi's head, he started back into the office. "Good day to you, Mihoshi."

He closed the door, and turned back to his desk, shaking his head. He murmured quietly to himself, "Well played, Nobuyuki. Will Tenchi see the trap?"

--

Ryoko wandered through the library, picking books off the shelf at random. She didn't know what exactly she might be looking for, so a more organized search wasn't possible. The only thing she did know was that she needed a book that showed her what earth flowers looked like.

She'd been through sections that appeared to be poetry, cooking, and architecture. She'd avoided the sections that were obviously manga. She only had a few sections left before she'd have to give up and ask someone for help, and that just wasn't a good idea in this situation. They might get ideas that they should deserve some of the credit, and Ryoko definitely wasn't going to share that with anyone.

No, more books on architecture. Ryoko threw it back on the shelf in frustration, and moved on to the next section. Why did an architect need so many books on architecture? Didn't he already know how to do all of it?

The next section was packed full to the rafters with books, hopefully they'd be the right type. Ryoko's hopes rose when she saw a picture of a flower on the front of the book. She thumbed through it quickly, and knew she finally had the section she wanted. There were descriptions of a few flowers, and the best ways to grow them. Now she just needed to find the right kind.

She finished looking at the book, without success, and put it on the floor. She pulled a new book, and started reading quickly again. This one was about growing vegetables. Ryoko placed it on the floor as well and moved on.

She'd read at least a dozen books before her spirits soared as she finally found what she was looking for. There on the page in front of her was a picture of what she needed to find. The only real problem was there were a few different colors to choose from.

Ryoko studied the flowers carefully, committing the shapes and colors to memory. Multiple colors wasn't really a problem, she'd just be sure to grab enough of all of them, and everything would be fine.

A smile broke out on Ryoko's face as she phased through the library wall. Tenchi was in for a real surprise. Surely he'd have to recognize Ryoko was the one for him after this.

--

Washu studied the helmet-shaped device in front of her carefully. She delicately arranged a few crystalline wires, then taped them in place. Normally she wouldn't be this sloppy, but she was working on a short time frame. If she guessed correctly, she'd have no more than a day, two at the most, before someone would be enacting their plan. She would have spent closer to a week on something like this normally, even though she knew it would work perfectly, regardless.

Another few wires went into place and were affixed with Washu's special adhesive tape. It held in place until you tapped it three times, then it would release. So much more useful, sometimes you needed to take things apart again.

Washu placed and taped the last of the small wires, and having completed the task, she sat down for a moment to admire her work. It was perfect, in a thrown-together-hastily kind of way. It looked a little shabby, in fact, but it would get the job done regardless. The key now was to get Tenchi into her lab, which was likely to be a greater accomplishment than creating this device. He'd been avoiding her lab completely, it was almost always Sasami who called her to dinner any more.

Well, if nothing else, she could always ask. It wasn't nearly as much fun as trapping him, but in the current situation speed was more important than style. She started considering good excuses to convince him she needed to run more tests. She'd given him a physical already, thanks to the discovery of Sasami's aging. She'd even managed a partial physical of Mihoshi before she broke Washu's newest checkup bot.

So, physical was out, but she could probably claim it was time for everyone to undergo a psychological examination. But then she'd have to administer one to everyone, and she wasn't sure she wanted to do that. It might lead to some accidental answers to questions she wasn't really prepared to ask right now.

No, the best thing to do was to just claim to have some new test to try and detect why Tenchi could create Lighthawk Wings. He always fell for that one, even after she'd taken the video of him in his boxer shorts and showed it to the whole house. He should have known better than to wear shorts with hearts on them.

Washu lifted the device off of its stand and brought it over to the contraption on the wall which she always used when testing Tenchi for Lighthawk Wings. She connected the large lead wire from the back of the helmet into the rest of the large concoction of wires, straps, bulbs, and restraints. She checked her monitor to see that the signal was transferring properly, and satisfied that it was, decided it was time to go and find Tenchi.

--

Sasami hung up the phone and leaned back against the wall. Her heart was beating rapidly, and she knew it wasn't going to stop any time soon. She'd hoped that Rea might have the answer, but it hadn't been a certainty. Actually having the recipe for the dishes, she couldn't help wondering what kind of reaction she was going to get.

She scanned through the list of dishes on the list she'd written, mentally calculating how much of each ingredient she was going to need. There was no way around it, she was definitely going to have to go shopping. A trip to the store today wouldn't leave her enough time to prepare it for tonight's dinner. Well, if she couldn't do it til tomorrow, so be it. Tenchi would hopefully like it, regardless of what day he got it.

This was it, her big chance to do something really special for Tenchi. She'd always cooked dinner and gotten him a birthday present and all those kinds of things, but never anything really special. She was sure Tenchi wasn't really looking at her the same way he did Ryoko and Ayeka, and even Mihoshi and Washu too. He probably still thought she was a young girl who couldn't have any more feelings for him than a small crush. She knew what she felt was more than that, though, and this was her chance to make him see that. She was a little worried about how things might end up between her sister and herself, or any of the other ladies too, but they would deal with that when it became clear if Tenchi was actually interested in any of them.

She planned out a simple lunch and dinner for today, something that would leave her plenty of time to take care of the shopping. She didn't like taking shortcuts when cooking, but sometimes it had to be done. Everyone would understand since she had to go shopping, and she was pretty certain Tenchi wouldn't hold it against her. Some of the others might when they found out what she'd done, though.

She headed for the kitchen, already thinking about what was necessary for the day's lunch. She could worry about consequences when the time came, now was the time to prepare a meal.

--

Mihoshi checked the hallway before entering Tenchi's room. She didn't like sneaking in when he wasn't around, but the investigative trail started here. Yosho had said the book was usually on the shelf in Tenchi's room. She had to look at the shelf if she was going to find any clues.

She approached the desk, noting the two shelves above it filled with books. This wasn't likely to be easy. First things first, check the crime scene before touching anything. Mihoshi carefully poked her head around the desk, underneath, anywhere she could without actually touching the desk itself or anything on it. She didn't spot anything out of the ordinary, so the time had come to actually look at the shelf.

Mihoshi first read the titles of all the books on the shelf, making sure none of them happened to be the one in question. She verified it wasn't there, and then stretched up on her tiptoes, leaning against the desk for balance. There didn't appear to be anything out of the ordinary.

Thinking hard about what she might do to locate the missing book, an idea finally came to her. If the book was normally on the shelf, it would probably have left a slight gap between books where it had previously been. Sure enough, there were a couple of gaps, and she climbed up onto the desk to check the gaps carefully.

The first didn't produce anything, but the second had what looked to be a clue. A small brown hair was lying in the gap, thicker than a human's would typically be.

"Ah, hah!" Mihoshi cried, then stifled any more outbursts to hopefully not alert anyone to her presence.

Mihoshi clambered down from the desk, and quietly slipped out of the room. There was only one person in this house who might have left a hair like that on the shelf. The problem now was going to be interrogating the individual.

--

Kiyone sat on the living room couch watching television, bored silly. A morning working in the fields followed by time spent watching shows she didn't understand was not what Kiyone had envisioned for her career. Things couldn't get any worse, her luck had definitely run out.

She didn't know which was worse: Being stuck in a dead-end post like this, or being reunited with Mihoshi as a partner. The two were related of course, her post was a result of being teamed up with Mihoshi again, or maybe the other way around, but either way she was doomed. The only redeeming thing about this assignment was... No there weren't any.

She pulled a coin out of her pocket and looked at it. It was a coin she'd acquired the day she got her undercover assignment. It had been an impulse buy, which was not in her nature, and later that day she was informed of the possibility of taking the undercover assignment and getting away from Mihoshi. She'd considered it a lucky coin ever since, but apparently its luck had run out, at least for her.

She fingered it a few times, before putting it back in her pocket. It was obviously old, and considering what she'd paid for it, somewhat valuable as well. Too bad it wasn't worth anything to her any more. She'd probably see if she could sell it somehow if she ever got the chance.

She was just getting up to go and do... anything, when Tenchi came down the stairs. He was dressed much like usual, but his hair was still damp from the bath he'd obviously just taken. He ran his hand back through his hair once before noticing Kiyone. His hand finished its move by rubbing the back of his head in that gesture Kiyone had come to recognize.

"Oh, hello Kiyone. Not much on?"

Kiyone rolled her eyes, and answered, "I just don't understand your television. I keep hoping that it might help me get a feel for Earth, but instead I just get confused. What's that game they play with the little white ball and the sticks?"

Tenchi chuckled, "Don't let anyone from Earth hear you say that, well, at least not anyone from Japan. It's called baseball. It's maybe the most popular sport here in Japan, so if someone heard you say that, well, the least you'd get was a funny look."

"Yeah, okay. Baseball. Strange game."

Tenchi just shook his head, and headed for the front door. "Well, I'm off to practice with Grandpa. I probably shouldn't have bothered with the bath, but it felt good."

Kiyone watched him move towards the door, wishing she had something worthwhile to go do. He was just about to open it when Washu stepped out of her lab, calling for his attention.

"Tenchi? Could I get you to do something for me?" Washu asked.

Tenchi turned back, and his eyes narrowed when he saw the innocent look on her face. Washu clearly had something in mind that she knew Tenchi wouldn't want to do. Kiyone watched him curiously, wondering what his response would be.

"Ah, Washu. I'm supposed to go practice with grandpa right now. Can it wait?" Tenchi rubbed the back of his neck while inching towards the door, his eyes never losing sight of Washu. Kiyone smiled at Tenchi's discomfort. He'd been leading all these ladies on long enough, he deserved a bit of discomfort.

"You're asking me to wait? After all I've done for you? What if I said this couldn't wait, it absolutely had to be done now?" Washu asked.

Tenchi winced, then said, "Er, well, if it has to be done right now, I guess so. I'll tell Grandpa, I'm sure he'll find some way for me to make it up."

"Great, Tenchi, now if you'll just step into my lab, we can get started." Washu grabbed him by the arm and started pulling him towards the door to her lab, Tenchi resisting slightly.

"I-in your lab. Ah, hah, what exactly do you need me to do?"

"Did you want me to say it in front of Kiyone?" Washu smiled evilly as Tenchi turned bright red and avoided looking at Kiyone.

Tenchi quit resisting and walked for the door without complaint. "No, no that's all right. I'm sure whatever it is is important."

"Of course it is. I wouldn't have asked otherwise."

Washu disappeared through the door to her lab behind Tenchi, and closed it afterwards, leaving Kiyone by herself again. She couldn't help smiling some more, Tenchi lived a strange life. While many men might find the notion of living with a bunch of women appealing, she thought many of them would change their minds when faced with the bunch that lived in this house. For some reason Tenchi put up with everything they put him through.

She turned back to the television and groaned. She didn't think she could stand any more of that. If Mihoshi was around they could at least get in a little practice, but she was out doing chores apparently. Kiyone decided going for a run would be a good idea, at least it would get her out of the house and get her some exercise. Working the fields was all right, but it wasn't the same thing.

--

Tenchi eyed the apparatus as he always did whenever she managed to get him in here. It was as if he might somehow puzzle out exactly how the thing worked, or maybe he was looking to make sure it was still the same. In fact, he stepped up to it and looked at the new device Washu had just built.

"What's this for, Washu? I haven't seen it before."

"That's the reason you're in here Tenchi. It's my newest device to try and determine how you create Lighthawk Wings, of course. Since you continue to refuse me what I really need," Washu grinned at Tenchi, "then I'm forced to try and find other methods to detect how you do it."

Tenchi looked at Washu, trying to determine if she was lying to him or not. As always, he couldn't read her expressions at all. He never could, and he doubted he ever would. "All right, Washu, gimme a sec to get in." Tenchi started to move towards the machine when Washu's voice interrupted.

"Ahem. Aren't you forgetting something, Tenchi?" Washu looked at him carefully, until he hung his head.

"All right, Washu."

Tenchi started taking his clothes off, until he was stripped down to his boxer shorts. Washu snickered a bit at seeing the flowers, and mentally reminded herself to make sure the camera was rolling as well. He climbed into the contraption himself, having no difficulty fitting himself in place any more. Repetition had made the procedure second nature for him.

Once he was in, Washu moved forward to secure the new device to his head properly. Tenchi flinched slightly when she put it on.

"Are you sure this is safe Washu? That device looks a little beat up."

"Are you questioning me, Tenchi? The greatest scientific genius in the universe, and you think you know more about it than I do? I think I might have to punish you for that. We'll save it for later, though." Washu twiddled a few more dials, making sure everything was connected properly. Tenchi just sweated nervously.

Washu finished her adjustments and moved back to her control station. She turned everything on and lights began flashing in strange patterns on the device strapped to Tenchi's head. Washu checked the readings she was getting and after verifying all was correct she turned on the recorder.

Washu turned to Tenchi with a raised eyebrow, "Well, then, we'll just have to let this device work for a while. It's doing some pretty deep readings, so it has to calibrate itself to your energy patterns. We've got some time to kill, I guess we can talk about something. So, what do you think of Kiyone, then. Good-looking, isn't she?"

"Washu! What are you talking about?" Tenchi floundered in the device, but it was flexible enough to absorb the shock from all his movements. Washu only laughed her strange cackling laugh.

"Well, I guess I know the answer to that question now. Hmmm, what should we talk about?" Washu tapped her cheek with a finger. "Well then, your father doesn't visit as much any more. He must be getting along pretty well with Rea then?"

"Yeah, I think so. I'm happy for him, I suppose, but it still seems weird. I can barely remember my mother, and yet I have this weird feeling like she's going to show up any moment and put dad in his place. I know it's not going to happen, though. It's probably just me wishing for a chance to see her again."

"Hmmm. I see. Well, what do you think she would say if she showed up?"

"What would she say?" Tenchi's face screwed up in thought. "Well, I guess I don't know. She'd probably tell him to do what was right, what was in his heart. She was always a very caring, understanding person from what dad and grandpa told me. I remember always feeling safe when I was with her."

"What was she like around children?"

"Around children? I don't really remember her being around children much, except for me. I think they wanted to have another child eventually, but..."

"I'm sorry Tenchi, I shouldn't be asking you all these questions about your mother."

"Well, it's all right. I know I don't talk about her much, I imagine all of you wonder about her an awful lot. You've all told me so much about your own lives, but I never talk much about mine. It's not really fair I suppose. Why are you interested suddenly?"

A mischievous grin formed on Washu's face, causing him to begin sweating again. Finally Washu answered, "Well, I just wanted to find out a little about how your mother acted with you of course, so that when you and I have our own kids, I know how to act with them..."

Tenchi's jaw dropped, he was so shocked he couldn't think of anything to say. He didn't manage to close his mouth again until Washu started approaching.

"Well, that should be enough, what say we get you out of all this stuff?" Washu reached forward, and hit the release switch for the device's restraints. "And we could get you out of that, too, if you wanted." Washu snapped the band of his boxer shorts, making him jump. "And me out of this..." Her hand went to the snaps of the jacket she had on.

"Auugh!" Tenchi jumped out of the machine, and scrambled for his clothes. Washu laughed loudly behind his back as he pulled them on and ran out of her lab.

--

A search through the house finally brought Mihoshi to the person, well, cabbit in question. She wasn't sure how she was going to go about this, but the only thing to do right now was try. She would ask for help if necessary, but she was a trained Galaxy Police officer. Interrogating uncooperative criminals couldn't be any harder than this, could it?

Ryo-Ohki lay napping on the mezzanine, enjoying the sunshine. Mihoshi suddenly felt herself getting a little sleepy, but she fought that urge down. She had business to take care of. She pushed aside the surge of guilt she felt at waking the cabbit, and poked Ryo-Ohki.

"Mreowr?" Ryo-Ohki sounded sleepily.

"I'm sorry, Ryo-Ohki. I need to speak with you if I could?" Mihoshi waited for the cabbit to compose herself, and when her eyes finally seemed to come into focus Mihoshi began her questioning. "You see, it's about a book. I believe you might have borrowed it. From Tenchi's room."

"Miya?"

"Yes, well, you see, I found a brown hair on the shelf, and I assume it had to have been yours since Tenchi's hair is a darker brown, and it's not as thick, and of course Ayeka's hair is purple and Sasami's is blue, and Washu's is red, and Ryoko's is kind of blue-gray, and Kiyone's is teal, and Nobuyuki's is black mostly. And of course Yosho's is black or maybe gray depending on which hairs. But the one I found was a light brown, so it had to have been yours, nobody else could have left it."

Mihoshi suddenly realized the cabbit was starting to lose focus and drift back to sleep. A couple pokes and the cabbit seemed to be back awake.

"Now, Ryo-Ohki, concentrate, this is important. It was a book of poems, it was brown, and it had a flower on the cover. Do you remember that book?"

"Miya!" Ryo-Ohki nodded her head.

"Oh, good. Do you know where it is now?"

"Miya." This time Ryo-Ohki shook her head.

"Oh, darn. Well, then, can you show me where you saw it last?"

"Miya!"

Ryo-Ohki jumped up and started scampering away, so Mihoshi got up and quickly followed her. The cabbit headed straight for Sasami and Ayeka's room and jumped into the door once, before a second effort got her through without bumping her head. Mihoshi barely stopped herself from jumping into the door, stopping at the last second. She instead knocked on the door to see if anyone was inside.

"Yes?" Sasami pulled the door open to look at Mihoshi, the cabbit already perched on her head. "Oh, hello Mihoshi. What can I do for you?"

"Hi Sasami. Umm, well, I'm trying to find something, and I believe Ryo-Ohki had it at one point and brought it here. At least I think that's what she meant. Say, do you happen to remember a book of poems, it was brown, and had a flower on the cover?"

"Yep. Ryo-chan brought it to me one day to read to her."

"Really? Do you still have it?"

"Ummm, no, I don't think so. I think it disappeared a day or two after I read it to Ryo-chan. I assumed that Ayeka borrowed it."

Mihoshi's face and shoulders slumped. "Oh, well thanks Sasami. I guess I'll go talk to Ayeka, then."

"Okay Mihoshi. Good luck!" Sasami started scratching Ryo-Ohki's chin as she turned back into her room and closed the door. Mihoshi sighed as she turned to go and look for Ayeka.

--

"Yes, yes." Washu fiddled with her newest project, making sure things were adjusted properly. "And that. Yes. And..."

Washu flipped a switch, and suddenly a small hologram popped up from the device. Washu studied it for a few moments before shutting it down. She wiped the tear from her eye before continuing to work. This one was going to be perfect, nothing less was acceptable.

A few more wires were connected, then sealed away properly. She popped a few plastic panels out of subspace, and attached them into position. A few more minutes of work and she was finished. That part was taken care of. Now the real work began.

--

Ryoko looked right and left, then right again. Flowers as far as the eye could see. Pink flowers, yellow flowers, green, red, orange. Too many to count.

"Aarrgghh! Okay, Ryoko, this is easy. All you have to do is start in the corner and work your way back and forth til you find them. Piece of cake."

Ryoko concentrated for a moment, and then suddenly her shadow appeared. Ryoko addressed it, "You start at that corner and work this way. I'll start here, and work that way. We'll meet in the middle. Yell if you find them."

Ryoko flew to her corner while her shadow did likewise. Looking at the boxes full of flowers she began skimming along looking at everything along the way to find the flowers she wanted. It was a good thing she'd looked at the pictures before she came, she might not have known what to look for in all of this mess otherwise.

Ten minutes of searching and she hadn't found anything yet, when suddenly her shadow yelled, "Here they are." Ryoko teleported over to the position where her shadow hovered looking at a huge collection of flowers in many different colors. Ryoko observed them carefully, comparing them to the pictures she'd studied in the book before agreeing with her shadow, "Yep, those are the ones. All right, we'll take a dozen of each color, got it. I'll get this row, you get those."

The two started collecting flowers, color after color going into their arms. After a minute they were done, but only then did Ryoko realize her problem.

"This ain't gonna work. They'll fall apart when I fly back with them. All right, new task. Find me something to carry them in."

Her shadow split off and started searching while Ryoko did her best to arrange all the flowers in a way that they wouldn't get ruined. In only a few moment her shadow returned with a large box.

"Perfect."

Ryoko carefully placed the flowers inside, and then a little concentration caused her shadow to disappear again. She hefted the box onto her shoulder for easiest carrying, though the weight was insignificant to her. Remembering one last thing before she disappeared, Ryoko pulled some money out of a pocket and laid it on the table where the flowers had been.

"Tenchi wouldn't forgive me if I just stole these."

Ryoko flew up, and phased through the ceiling. She glanced around briefly to get her bearings and make sure she wasn't likely to be spotted. She then took off as fast as she could fly to avoid anyone getting a good look at her should they happen to notice her passing.

--

Ayeka quickly put the yukata aside as Mihoshi approached. She didn't think Mihoshi would recognize it but she didn't want to take any chances. Mihoshi tended to blurt things out at inopportune moments, secrets weren't ever safe with her.

"Hello, Mihoshi. What can I do for you?" Ayeka was certainly curious what brought the blonde woman out to speak with her. Usually Sasami was the only one to interrupt her while she was sewing, everyone else was too busy with their own projects and chores.

"Hello, Ayeka. I'm looking for a book, actually. It was brown, with a flower on the cover. It's called 'Love Poems of the Fugiwara Period.' Sasami read some of it to Ryo-Ohki one night a while ago, and then it disappeared. She thought you might have taken it. Have you seen it?" Mihoshi was fidgeting, rubbing her hands together and rocking back and forth between her feet. If Ayeka realized why she was looking for the book, Mihoshi's surprise might be ruined.

Ayeka tried to shift without being obvious, trying to cut off Mihoshi's view of the Yukata. She wouldn't stand still for some reason, she kept rocking about so that Ayeka was uncertain the yukata was hidden from Mihoshi's view. Mihoshi was looking for a book of love poems? That was odd, she usually read mysteries, solving them well before she finished them, somehow.

"I do believe I remember that book, yes. I'm quite certain that I put it back in the library. On the top shelf of the poetry section, I believe."

"Oh. Okay." Mihoshi couldn't keep the disappointment from her voice. She was on the trail, but surely if the book had been in the library, Tenchi would have looked for it in there and he wouldn't be missing it. She had no choice but to go to the library and see if there were any clues to work with, though. "Thanks, Ayeka."

Mihoshi turned and walked away, letting Ayeka relax. She didn't think Mihoshi had noticed the yukata meaning Ayeka was in the clear. It would take her a day or so, but she was certain Tenchi would be extremely pleased with what she was doing for him. Perhaps he would finally acknowledge her as the one for him. She giggled momentarily in delight, blushed at a thought of what Tenchi might do as thanks, then went back to work on the yukata.

--

Mihoshi entered the library, and wandered around a bit, checking the titles on some of the books. She'd never looked for books on poetry in here before, so wasn't sure where they might be stored. Finally she came across a section that looked to be right, and got up her tip-toes to look at the top shelf. Only a couple books were on that shelf, it would have been a pretty good stretch for Ayeka to get the book up there. Of course, all the other shelves were full.

The titles of the two books still on the shelf didn't look right, so Mihoshi decided she would need to look at the shelf. If she couldn't find a clue on the shelf, her search would be over, and she wouldn't be able to do something for Tenchi.

She stepped onto the lowest shelf, checking to make sure it would bear her weight. It felt solid, so she pulled herself up to pear at the top shelf. It was relatively dusty, Mihoshi made a note to get in here and clean next time she had chores. But in this situation it was perfect. There was a streak where a book had obviously been pushed onto the shelf, and more importantly, a hand print next to it where someone had obviously been reaching for the book. Mihoshi stretched out her hand to compare, and as she suspected the hand print was much bigger than her own hand.

"Ah, hah!"

Suddenly, Mihoshi lost her grip on the shelf, and fell to the floor, landing on her backside.

"Ouchee!"

Mihoshi gingerly climbed to her feet, massaging her butt. She headed for the door, knowing how to continue following the trail of the missing book. Only two people besides Tenchi had hands that size, and she'd already talked to one of them.

--

Kiyone arrived back at the house after a long run. She'd possibly overdone it, but had decided she had nothing better to do. She was approaching the house from the lake shore when she noticed Tenchi approaching from the other side, apparently done with his afternoon workout with his grandfather.

They reached the front door at about the same time, and Tenchi politely opened the door for her, making her laugh. Most of the men she'd known didn't much care about being polite, one police officer was the same as another to them.

"Thanks, Tenchi. You don't have to do that, you know. Save it for your girlfriends."

Tenchi blushed slightly, but didn't answer. He was just as damp and sweaty as Kiyone herself was, obviously he'd had another tough workout. Kiyone made a note to go watch one of his workouts some time, it might be interesting.

They walked into the house and headed for the stairs, when Tenchi said, "I suppose you'd like to take a bath, huh?"

Kiyone faltered, and turned to look at Tenchi, her face turning red. "What do you mean by that?"

"Huh. Oh, no Kiyone. I didn't mean we'd, uh, together, I mean... What I meant was I suppose you'd like a bath so I should wait until you're done."

Tenchi was rubbing his head furiously, looking at the ceiling with his face solid red. Kiyone watched him a moment to make sure he was serious about the misunderstanding. After deciding he was, she said, "Oh. Yeah, that's nice of you Tenchi. Thanks."

"That's okay, Kiyone. I wouldn't mind catching the news, any way."

Tenchi turned away, and headed for the couch when Sasami poked her head out of the kitchen. "Hello, Tenchi. Hello Kiyone. Tenchi, can you do something for me?"

Tenchi groaned quietly as he got back to his feet, "Sure Sasami. What is it?"

"I went shopping today Tenchi, I've got a lot of stuff that needs to go out in the storeroom, and then I need you to bring in enough vegetables for dinner tonight."

"Okay, Sasami. Where's the stuff to go out?"

"It's out on the back porch. Thank you."

Tenchi walked out the back entrance to work on his tasks leaving Kiyone with Sasami. Kiyone watched him the whole way out with a puzzled look, then turned to Sasami, noticing the princess had been doing the same. Sasami blushed slightly when she realized Kiyone had caught her watching Tenchi.

"Sasami? Does Tenchi always do what you ask him to? Even after a workout with his grandfather, he still goes and hauls groceries around for you."

"Well, I never really thought about it, but I suppose he always does. He's such a nice man. It's probably why we all..." Sasami blushed deeper as she stopped talking, turning away. "Well, I need to get back to work on dinner. You should go get cleaned up, Kiyone. You're stinky."

Sasami bolted back into the kitchen, leaving a chuckling Kiyone behind. She probably was pretty smelly after the run she'd been on. She headed up the stairs, wondering how Tenchi managed to make it through the days without wearing out. He was always so busy, and always changing his plans to help any of the ladies in the house.

--

"Thank you so much, Rea. I'll be sure to check with them. You've really helped. Goodbye."

Mihoshi hung up the phone, and slumped into a nearby chair. The book had been with Nobuyuki, but Rea had found it and loaned it to Tenchi's cousin Kasumi. It was too late now, Mihoshi wouldn't be able to get over there until tomorrow at the earliest. That couldn't be helped, though, it was only another day. The book had been missing for long enough that Tenchi wouldn't know the difference.

It had to be there, though. If Rea had just given it to them a few days ago, surely they would still have it. Her search would finally be over tomorrow, and then she could give it to him. Tenchi might do something nice for her as a result. Maybe a kind word, or even a hug. Probably not a kiss, though that was what she really wanted, oh if only...

--

Rea smiled as she hung up the phone, looking appreciatively at Nobuyuki as he sat reading the paper after finally finishing work. He seemed like a goofball so much of the time that it was always surprising when he did something so cunning.

"Well, Nobuyuki, that's my second call today, Sasami was first, and now it was Mihoshi. I think they took the bait, and they're all frantically trying to do something for Tenchi. Do you think he'll react the way they're hoping? He's never shown much interest that way."

Nobuyuki looked over the edge of his paper at Rea, and answered, "Well, it's his mother in question here. That's about the only thing that might really touch him that deeply that I can think of. I think he'll react pretty warmly at the least, but it's hard to say how much it'll change him. Hopefully he'll get the message, though."

"What about Kiyone? She's kind of new to the whole situation? Do you think she's interested in him, too?" Rea started in on supper again, chatting over her shoulder. "She seems like the type who wouldn't want to admit to anything like that, but they're often the ones who fall hardest in the end. And that boy is hard to resist." Rea fanned her face a bit.

Nobuyuki glanced over again, noting Rea's reaction. "Ahem. If you wanted to make a play for Tenchi, I wish you would have done it before now, Rea. I think it might get a little awkward at this point."

"Oh, I'm not going to do anything, Nobo, you know that. But I think I've felt what all those girls feel around him. Quit worrying, you don't need to be jealous."

"Yes, well, he is my son after all. It's only natural, how could any woman not be tempted. You've got me, though, the original product. Surely you feel the same thing around me?" Nobuyuki stood up and walked over to wrap his arms around Rea from behind. "What say we skip supper for now? We can get a snack later."

Rea set the knife down in the sink and laughed, "Well, I guess that would be okay." The smile never left her face as the two walked from the kitchen hand-in-hand.

--

The group was gathered in the living room as per their usual at night, even Washu was there for a change. Ryoko smiled, planning her move carefully. This was going to be even sweeter with everyone else there to witness it. When Tenchi acknowledged her to everyone else their looks of defeat would be so incredibly sweet.

She looked at Tenchi as he reclined against the edge of the couch next to Sasami's legs. Anyone else and Ryoko would have been tempted to fly down and drag him away, but so far Sasami hadn't been displaying any extreme signs of affection, and it wouldn't matter soon any way.

This was it, the time to spring her surprise on Tenchi and everyone else. Ryoko teleported back to her room and picked up the box she had the flowers in. She flew back out of her room phasing through the door, and prepared to make her big entrance. The sight in the living room caused her mouth to drop open and the box fell to the floor.

--

Kiyone pulled the coin out of her pocket and turned it over in her hand. It's luck had worn out for her when she got shipped off here. She'd decided she didn't want to keep the coin any more, and the best thing to do with it was give it away. Give the coin to Tenchi. She still hadn't done anything for him as real thanks for letting her stay here. Sure, she'd started helping around the house, but she'd never actually given him anything for the hospitality. Who knew, maybe it would bring him some luck, like making the other ladies come to their senses.

Deciding the time was right Kiyone got to her feet and cleared her throat. "Uh, Tenchi. It kinda occurred to me that I haven't really said thanks for letting me stay here. Not properly any way. So what I wanted to do was give you this coin I've been carrying around for a while. It's a lucky coin, I had good things happen to me almost right away after I bought it. I hope you like it, and I hope it works as well for you as it did for me."

Kiyone handed the coin to Tenchi as he struggled back to his feet. She noticed out of the sides of her eyes the strange looks she was getting from everyone else, but tuned them out for the moment as Tenchi looked at the coin.

"Thank you Kiyone. You really didn't need to do that. I appreciate it, but you shouldn't give up a lucky coin..." Tenchi fell silent, and shock appeared in his face. "How... Where... Do you know what this is? This is a Fuhonsen coin, Kiyone. They talk about them in that history book grandpa gave me last year. I can't believe you have one of these, they only dug up a few of them, they must have all gone to a museum. This is much too valuable, I can't accept something like this. Please, take it back."

Tenchi held the coin out to Kiyone, obviously expecting her to take it. She just shook her head.

"No, Tenchi, I insist. I'm not really sure what a Fuhonsen coin is, but no matter, I want you to have it. Keep it."

"Well... all right, I guess. I don't think you should, but if you're sure. Thank you, Kiyone. Thank you very much." Tenchi gave her a little bow of gratitude.

"You're welcome Tenchi. You're a good guy, you deserve something nice... Uh, what's the problem?" Kiyone finally noticed that the strange looks she'd been getting from the others had changed to shock and maybe even outrage.

Washu seemed to be pretty calm actually, but the rest weren't, especially Ryoko as she came flying down the stairs screaming, "How... how could you? What gives you the right to..."

"Ryoko!" Washu yelled. "Behave yourself. What she's done is perfectly appropriate, don't you think? Giving a host a gift for his hospitality."

"But..." Ryoko quailed.

"But nothing. And look at the rest of you. It's like you think she just kissed him or something. Honestly, you're all acting like children. No offense, Sasami." Ayeka's, Sasami's, Ryoko's, and Mihoshi's faces all softened a bit, and even showed a tinge of embarrassment.

Tenchi rubbed his head, and said, "Um, am I missing something?"

"No!" screamed everyone in unison.

"Well, okay then. I guess I'll go put this coin away for now. It's too valuable to leave sitting around." Tenchi headed for the stairs, pausing briefly to squeeze Kiyone on the shoulder as he passed her. "Thanks again, Kiyone. Good night, everyone."

Tenchi headed upstairs, oblivious, as the looks hardened again and angry faces turned on Kiyone. Even Washu's face turned into one of surprise as she looked at Kiyone. Washu quickly recognized the signs though, and managed to speak first, "How did you do that?"

"Uh, do what?" Kiyone was nervously watching everyone else looking at her with murderous intent visible in their eyes.

"Bah. You don't even realize what Tenchi just did, do you? We've been living with him for close to four years now, and not one of us has ever gotten so much as a squeeze on the arm from him, and you do it in just a week? Oh sure, we've all gotten our arms on Tenchi, but he's never initiated anything, it's always been us doing it." Washu's voice was flat as she said this. Everyone else just nodded their heads, never taking their eyes off of Kiyone.

"Er, I guess I wouldn't know about that, would I? I just wanted to give him something, and I think that coin was appropriate." Kiyone silently added that she thought it's luck had worn off.

"Right, well, I guess that sounds reasonable to me, don't you think, ladies?" Washu turned a commanding stare on the other ladies in the room, all of whom visibly calmed under her gaze.

"Yes," they all meekly answered.

"Good. Well, I suspect everyone should probably get some sleep, tomorrow's a new day." Washu turned back for her lab, silently congratulating Kiyone on her impeccable timing. The new GP officer was going to turn into a worthy contender, and she didn't even realize she was doing it. One more lady to deal with, but all things considered, that hardly made much difference. She still had a few last adjustments to make to get her device ready by tomorrow. That might turn the tide in her own favor.

"Tomorrow. Yeah, I guess I probably should get some rest." Ryoko floated back up the stairs. Relief flooded her as she noticed the box of flowers remained where she'd dropped it, unopened. She picked it up and disappeared to her room, making new plans to surprise Tenchi tomorrow.

"Yes, tomorrow should be a nice day. Good night, everyone." Ayeka headed out as well.

"Tomorrow... Good night Mihoshi." Sasami quickly followed after Ayeka.

Mihoshi stood there blinking for a few moments. Then she headed up the stairs as well. Something was definitely going to happen tomorrow, Mihoshi could sense it. Of course, whatever it was, it hopefully wouldn't distract from her present.

--

The dark alley was silent and cold, very few people ever ventured this way. Marco wiped the blood off of his knife. He returned it to its sheath, then disposed of the handkerchief. He never glanced down at the body on the ground next to him. It was no longer important, just one more in a long list of victims.

His information had been correct, Mariko Nomura had been on Antropos 4. She'd apparently been the intelligence gatherer in the little mission against the Rudolphos.

He checked himself to make sure no blood had gotten on him, and satisfied, he headed back out to the main street. He had a long ways to go yet, there was still time to find the Makibi woman. He decided to take a break and relax in the hotel room he had here on the planet.

Marco popped back out onto the street, and strode purposely back in the direction of his hotel. A couple people turned and looked at him when he appeared, but that couldn't be helped. He'd be long gone by the time anyone ventured down there and discovered the body. Even if someone did happen to identify him to the authorities, it wasn't like he wasn't already a wanted man on dozens of worlds. One more wouldn't matter.

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	7. Chapter 6: Presents

Chapter 6: Presents 

Section Chief Sakai sat riffling through the various papers which crossed his desk daily. The usual status reports and budget requests went into piles to be reviewed later. Junk mail went into the trash. That just left one memo, addressed to him from human resources, noting that two of his officers had not yet reported back for duty.

He glanced at the names, and frowned as they registered. Two of the team members from Detective Makibi's undercover assignment against the Rudolpho group. They had all been on vacation, except for Makibi, perhaps they'd decided to stay longer to recover from the long assignment. It was also possible something else had happened.

He debated briefly whether to mention the matter to Deputy Commander Watanabe, but decided against it. The memo went into his office's incinerator, burned to ash, then disappeared. There was nothing to do on that matter for the moment. He'd take appropriate action when he got more information, and he wasn't in a hurry to find out.

He sat back down in his chair, and looked at the piles of papers still waiting. He flipped through the status reports and found one from Detective Mihoshi Kuramitsu, and quickly sent that one after the memo into the incinerator. The unanticipated benefit to posting Makibi with Kuramitsu was that now he could ignore Mihoshi's reports and just read the ones Kiyone sent. They were straight to the point, only including useful information.

He reclined in his chair, and took the top report off of the stack, settling into his normal routine. He quickly forgot about other concerns and lost himself in the task of managing officers spread out over a whole section of space.

--

Kiyone and Tenchi were walking back to the house for lunch, Ryo-Ohki snoozing in her now-accustomed place on Kiyone's head. They walked up the porch, and as they were entering the house both quickly noticed the air of tension in the living room. All five of the house's other occupants were there, and it was obvious that a fight was imminent. Unlike usual though, it was hard to tell who was mad at whom.

"I was here first, all of you go away," shouted Ryoko.

"I hardly think being here first gives you any rights, Ryoko. We all live here too," answered Washu, getting nods from the other three present.

"I have something important to do, and I don't need all of you hanging around and interfering." Ryoko glared about some more, trying to intimidate everyone else, but meeting only with resolute stares in response.

"I've got something important to do as well, Ryoko. In fact I'm quite sure what I'm going to do is more important than anything you could have planned." Ayeka finally chimed in.

"But, but, I have something to do also. I really wanted to without anyone else here. Oh, this just won't work..." Mihoshi whined.

Unnoticed so far, Kiyone and Tenchi traded curious looks, and then walked into the living room together. Tenchi took a deep breath before speaking. Something bad could happen if he didn't get this right, and the house was finally getting back into shape, not having been damaged in a few days.

"All right, everyone, what seems to be the problem?" Tenchi grinned slightly as the five women jumped and turned to face him. Their gazes all slowly shifted to face Kiyone, and some of the looks she received were not friendly. Realizing the impending problem, Tenchi quickly added with the sternest look he could muster, "Surely we can figure it out, whatever it is, without resorting to violence or breaking anything?"

Five sets of eyes snapped back to Tenchi, and most managed to look a little ashamed. Interestingly, it was Sasami who managed to speak first.

"Oh, hello, Tenchi, Kiyone, Ryo-chan. You're probably hungry, are you ready for lunch?" Sasami moved, almost as if to herd everyone to the table.

Tenchi's brows wrinkled, but he never got a chance to answer as four sets of arms wrapped themselves around him suddenly. "Yeeaugh! Let go everyone."

"I've got something I want to show you Tenchi"  
"No, I do Tenchi"  
"Come with me Tenchi, I've got something for you"  
"Oh, please, can we go somewhere, Tenchi?"

Tenchi squirmed under the grasp of the four women, and was only rescued by Kiyone and Sasami pulling the others off of him, nearly causing a brawl in the process. Doing the only thing he knew would get things calmed down again, Tenchi said, "Until you ladies can calm down and keep yourselves under control, I'm leaving."

He managed only a couple of steps before things quieted down, and Sasami squeaked, "Wait, Tenchi." A glance back showed everyone watching him desperately. He stopped and watched carefully, finally deciding that things had settled properly.

He said, "Well, apparently everyone made plans of some sort or another. And I'll assume as per usual those plans include me, without consulting me on the matter first. Would anyone care to explain?"

Tenchi and Kiyone watched the five squirm a bit, none ready to reveal what they had planned. Tenchi sighed, and turned to Kiyone saying, "Well, looks like nobody's going to cooperate. Since I'm sure no one will be happy until they get a chance for whatever it is, the only thing to do is take turns. Would you mind, while I go clean up for a second, could you just randomly pick some order, Kiyone? They'd never accept anything I decided."

The reactions were varied: Ayeka gasped, Ryoko started shouting about it being unfair, Mihoshi started pleading to Kiyone, Washu just looked at her thoughtfully, and Sasami eyed the dining room table, obviously in her usual rush to get everyone eating. Kiyone just frowned and said, "Well, I'd rather not get involved Tenchi, but this once I can see your point. Settle down, everyone. Let's see, Sasami, Ryoko, Ayeka, Mihoshi, Washu. Agreed?"

After the expected protests were ignored by Tenchi and Kiyone, everyone finally agreed to the order, glum looks on everyone's faces but Sasami's. Hers just showed nervousness. Tenchi and Kiyone wandered upstairs to wash up before lunch, leaving everyone else contemplating current events. Everyone turned to look at Sasami suspiciously.

"So, whatcha got planned little missy? Hmmm?" Ryoko was the one to speak first.

Glancing about nervously, Sasami answered, "Er... you'll find out when everyone else does. I'm not saying anything unless everyone else does." Sasami's face hardened into its frequently seen stubborn lines. A few glances back and forth, and it was obvious nobody was going to reveal their plans. "Fine then, I guess you find out when it happens, then. If everyone would please sit down, it's time for lunch."

"But, but, aren't you going to give something to Tenchi now?" Mihoshi asked. "Oh, I have to wait so long already."

"Surely whatever each of us has planned isn't so important that Tenchi can't eat lunch first? I didn't think so." Washu glanced at everyone, confirming her statement.

"Why are you so calm, Washu?" Ryoko asked. "You're going last. By the time your turn rolls around, Tenchi might not care any more."

"Perhaps," said Washu. "Or perhaps, he'll look at mine and realize how much better it is than everyone else's and forget any of you even gave him something."

The impending fight was stopped by Kiyone's arrival. "Honestly, the lot of you are just a bunch of children, aren't you? Fighting over Tenchi like he's a toy. You've turned what I assume was meant to be an act of kindness into another contest."

That struck home, and everyone quieted, and finally wandered over to the table, just as Tenchi came down the stairs. He glanced around at the seemingly calm ladies and relaxed visibly. He'd been a little worried things would blow up by the time he got back down. He sat down, flanked as usual by Ayeka and Ryoko who obviously weren't giving up that privilege.

Everyone started eating quietly, nerves showing all around. Kiyone decided it was up to her to break the mood and was about to ask Tenchi a question when she noticed the look on his face. She watched carefully as he slowly ate the various dishes Sasami had laid out, and it was obvious it was having some kind of effect on him. Tenchi had never been a particularly fast eater, but he was exceptionally slow today, as if he were savoring every piece of food to its absolute end. He also wasn't glancing around the table at all, just watching his plate, except when he placed something else on it.

Curious now, Kiyone lost her urge to start a conversation and looked around the table. Ayeka and Ryoko were taking turns giving each other glares while eating. Ryo-Ohki munched away happily, and Mihoshi was wolfing down food, oblivious of everything going on around her. Washu on the other hand was watching Tenchi with a mild smile on her face and casting an occasional glance at Sasami. When she caught Kiyone looking at her, Washu just winked and nodded her head in Sasami's direction. Kiyone glanced at Sasami as a result, and realized the young girl had barely touched her food, and was instead watching Tenchi intently.

A few glances back and forth, and Kiyone was certain that whatever Sasami had been planning was this meal. There was no doubt that Tenchi was being affected by the food he was eating. Washu apparently knew it too, and it appeared that Ryoko and Ayeka were starting to realize something was going on. Only Mihoshi had yet to notice Tenchi's reaction.

"Mmmmm, this is really, really good Sasami. Even better than usual. I wish I could cook like you can, but I always seem to mess something up. It's probably better that I just help you out every once in a while. So, this must be that meal your mother used to make then, Tenchi? That was why you called Rea the other day, wasn't it Sasami?"

Mihoshi blissfully continued munching away after making these statements. Kiyone rolled her eyes, realizing she'd once again underestimated her partner. She only appeared to be clueless, which almost made things more frustrating. If only you knew that she was actually clued into the real world all the time it wouldn't be so hard to work with her.

Again, conversation was absent at the table, but now people were looking back and forth between Sasami and Tenchi while pretending to eat their meals. No one dared speak, fearful of saying the wrong thing at an awkward moment. Finally Tenchi sat back, having slowly devoured the entire meal in silence. He looked over to Sasami, and a pained smile touched his mouth. He stood up, and opened and closed his mouth a few times, obviously trying to decide what to say.

A nudge from Washu caused Sasami to stand up, and the action seemed to spark something in Tenchi, so that he finally found what he wanted to say. "Thank you Sasami. That was wonderful. Just like my mother used to make it. Well, better probably."

Sasami blushed furiously, and stammered her thanks. Her cheeks only reddened even more as Tenchi slowly walked around the table towards her, looking at her the whole time.

"Well, I need to go get ready to practice with Grandpa, now. I'm sure once we start I'll regret that huge lunch, but I certainly don't right now." Tenchi stopped in front of her, still looking her in the eyes. "I don't know what more to say, you really did something special for me Sasami. Thank you so much." Tenchi then offered a little bow of appreciation.

Sasami answered while squirming on her feet, "So, you really liked it, then? It was okay to do that?" Tenchi smiled and nodded. "Good!" cried Sasami, then she threw herself into Tenchi, grabbing him in a hug. Ayeka and Ryoko jumped to their feet, displeasure showing on their faces and fists clenched at their sides.

Tenchi embarrassedly disentangled himself from Sasami, and gave her another smile. "Thanks again Sasami, that was very nice." He planted a soft kiss on her forehead before heading up to his room, leaving the six suddenly stunned women looking after him in disbelief.

Kiyone recovered first, surprised that she'd reacted at all. She noticed the trembling Sasami, and stood up to guide the young girl over to the living room to sit down. Ryo-Ohki trailed behind, puzzlement evident on her small face. Sasami's eyes remained wide but unfocused, and her hand slowly moved towards her forehead to gently touch the place Tenchi had kissed her. The other ladies gradually started coming to their senses, and four faces turned to the two sitting on the couch.

Washu mused, "Interesting. That was a little stronger reaction than I really anticipated. I wonder..."

"He... he kissed her. I don't believe it. He kissed her." Ryoko looked from Sasami to Ayeka, and back and forth few more times.

"Well, in actuality, he just gave her a peck on the forehead. It's not like he really KISSED her or declared his love or anything like that." Washu was tapping her lips as she said this, still considering the implications.

"Yeah, but, well, he... Aarrgghh. How could he? He's mine." Ryoko disappeared, teleporting off to some unknown location.

"Bah, she always claims that Tenchi is hers. When will she ever face the fact that Tenchi might end up with someone else." Ayeka sniffed and started on her way up to work on some more sewing. She paused briefly, and turned back to look at the couch. "That was very nice of you Sasami. Obviously Tenchi appreciated what you did. What was the order again, Kiyone?"

Kiyone blinked, then considered it for a moment. "Sasami, Ryoko, you, Mihoshi, Washu."

"Thank you Kiyone. I guess now we wait to find out what the space-pirate thinks is a nice gesture." Ayeka headed up the stairs with that.

"Yes it was very nice, Sasami. Well done. Hmmm, I guess if I'm last, I might as well get some work done, it's gonna be a while. I'll be in my lab. Let me know if anything gets too crazy out here and Tenchi starts kissing everyone." Washu disappeared through the closet door, leaving just the three ladies in the living room.

Kiyone glanced at Sasami who still seemed to be a little shell-shocked. Deciding it was best to leave the girl to her own thoughts, Kiyone stood up and looked at Mihoshi. The blonde woman had been remarkably quiet since her declaration at the table. In fact, she appeared to be thinking pretty hard, and it was presumably in regards to Tenchi kissing Sasami, innocent as the kiss might have been.

"So, tell me Mihoshi, what is it about him that you all find so incredible, any way? I mean he's a nice guy and all, but he's kind of boring really. All he does is work and practice and study."

"What? Oh, Kiyone, what are you saying? He's so nice, and hard-working, and caring, and generous. And he saved my life at least twice already. And he's good looking." Mihoshi turned a little red. "Of course you already noticed that part, didn't you, Kiyone?"

"What? Get real Mihoshi, I don't know what you're talking about." Kiyone turned red herself, and tried to disguise it as anger.

Mihoshi just smiled before continuing, "Well any way, I guess what it really comes down to is Tenchi makes me feel safe and protected, and cared for. It's nice to know there's someone like him there in case you ever need it. I mean, I'm a Galaxy Police officer, trained to risk danger when duty calls, and yet, twice now, I would have been dead if not for him. It just feels so good to see his face."

"Mmmm, hmmm. And you might think he's boring Kiyone, but it's because he works so hard to provide for us. He won't let us give him any money, even though we obviously could. Oh we all slip something into the house that we bought with money we have, but we can't get him to accept any actual money." Sasami was looking at Kiyone as if Kiyone were a strange creature she'd never seen before, and Kiyone realized she was probably getting herself in hot water questioning their feelings for Tenchi.

"Well, all right, I'm sure he has lots of wonderful qualities. I'm sure you can understand why I find this situation so puzzling, though? I mean, Tenchi's a good guy. But seriously, he's got two Juraian princesses, the infamous space-prate Ryoko, the legendary galactic scientist Washu, and Galaxy Police office Mihoshi Kuramitsu, whose grandfather just happens to be the head of the Galaxy Police, mind you, all in love with him. I mean, come on, let's get real here."

"Act that way if you want Kiyone. You'll understand eventually," said Mihoshi. She traded knowing looks with Sasami, causing Kiyone's cheeks to flare in what she hoped was anger.

"Bah. Enough already. Let's do some target practice this afternoon, Mihoshi, all right? And enough with the Tenchi thing." Kiyone stalked off towards the stairs leaving the last two women standing and smirking behind her.

After Kiyone was gone, Mihoshi turned to Sasami and asked, "So... What was it like? I've dreamed of him giving me even a little kiss..."

--

Ryoko looked at the assortment of flowers, thankful she'd thought to put them in water last night. Fortunately for her she'd read a little bit of the book about caring for them as well as learning how to identify them, mostly by accident. She gathered them up from the assorted Sake bottles they'd been in, and put them back into a large bouquet inside the box she'd originally brought them in.

She phased herself up through the ceiling, and headed for a spot along the path Tenchi would most likely follow on his way back to the house from practice. She wanted this to be between herself and Tenchi, not a public event for all the other girls like Sasami's had been. She was certain Tenchi would like it, but would he react to it like he had Sasami's. She couldn't bear to let anyone else see what was about to happen. She could brag about it later if she got a good reaction, but if not, it would be for her to know.

She flew over to rest on one of the tree branches along the path to sit and wait. Minutes passed, and she got more uncomfortable all the time. Finally she saw him wandering down the path, shoulders slumped in fatigue. She could barely resist the urge to wrap herself around him, but she knew now would not be the right time. She loved to tease him normally, but not now.

"Tenchi?" she said. She floated down to the ground as he looked up to see her.

"Ryoko? What's up?" His eyes inevitably moved to the box she was carrying in her hands.

"I've got a present for you. Well, sort of."

Ryoko held out the box to him, then stood back nervously. He looked at her questioningly, then opened the box. The hitch in his movements as he saw what was inside betrayed his feelings.

"Wh-where did you find these, Ryoko? They shouldn't be in season right now."

"Ah, well, you know, here and there. I paid for them, though, don't worry about that."

He looked at her carefully, obviously assessing the truth of her last statement, but his eyes softened as he verified her sincerity. A sad smile broke out on his face as he looked back at the flowers.

"Thank you Ryoko, that was very thoughtful of you. Did dad put you up to this?"

"Ah, well, maybe?" Ryoko shifted nervously, unwilling to admit they'd listened to a somewhat private conversation.

Tenchi mistook Ryoko's avoidance for agreement and laughed. He said, "That guy. He seems like a goofball so often, you sometimes forget he's a caring guy underneath."

He turned his face back to Ryoko, and then offered a small bow of appreciation. Seeing her face light up, he said, "Thank you again, Ryoko, that was very nice. Ah... Well, would you maybe like to come to her grave site when I put the flowers there, Ryoko? I know she didn't mean anything to you, but you've actually seen her before, I guess."

It was Tenchi's turn to shift uncomfortably, and Ryoko realized what a gesture he'd just made. She was a little disappointed that she might not get the kiss she'd been hoping for, but Tenchi had opened up in his own manner, and that was progress.

Ryoko smiled brightly, and said, "I'd like that Tenchi. Thank you for asking."

"Ah, well, good. Should we head back, then?"

"Sure thing, Tenchi."

The two turned down the path and walked back towards home. Tenchi barely even flinched when Ryoko slipped her arm inside of his.

--

'Where could she be?' thought Ayeka as she wandered through the house. Ayeka had expected to find Ryoko drinking sake in the onsen as she often was, but today she'd been nowhere in sight. Ayeka ashamedly admitted she'd been hoping to drink a little sake while soaking, herself.

She finally arrived at the door to Ryoko's room, though the woman was rarely ever in it. She knocked a few times, waited politely, and receiving no answer she poked her head inside. As expected Ryoko was not in there either.

"She's obviously gone to harass poor Tenchi, then. We'll just see about that."

Ayeka stormed from the house and headed for the area she knew Tenchi and Yosho used for sword practice. Ryoko would be up to something as usual, certainly at Tenchi's expense. She was only a short distance down the path when she froze at an unexpected sight. A couple moments of shock and then she was moving again, even more quickly.

"Get your hands off of Lord Tenchi," Ayeka yelled as she began pulling Ryoko off of Tenchi's arm.

Tenchi was spun to the ground as usual due to the force applied by Ayeka. A look told him the two were totally focused on each other and anything he might say would be ignored. He could sense the trouble, and realizing a fight in the woods would be better than at the house where it might do some damage, he slipped away to escape.

"Just who do you think you are, Miss Prissy? I was enjoying a walk back with Tenchi, and you come barging in to interrupt. You always do that, you just can't accept that Tenchi likes me, can you?" Ryoko shot Ayeka her deadliest look, which of course she'd used before so it had no effect.

"Likes you? Bah, what rubbish. He feels sorry for you, that's all. He's guilty because of what his grandfather did to you."

Ryoko rocked back for a second, taken aback by the new charge she'd never considered before. Then she remembered what Tenchi had asked after receiving her present, and she knew Ayeka was wrong. A smile of triumph broke out on her face.

"Is that so," Ryoko drawled. "Well then, why did he invite me to visit his mother's grave with him?"

Ayeka rocked back in shock this time. Tenchi invited Ryoko to visit his mother's grave? He rarely even visited with his father or grandfather, and never with any of the ladies in his house. Ayeka's eyes narrowed as she looked at the now-grinning Ryoko.

"You obviously tricked him, Ryoko. What did you do?"

Ryoko laughed, and answered, "I just gave him my present of course. Apparently he liked it, wouldn't you say?" Ryoko laughed some more as Ayeka's face turned from red to white quickly.

Ayeka mentally composed herself. So, she'd given him a present. Well, Ryoko wasn't the only one who had something special to give to Tenchi. And apparently she hadn't gotten anything more than that from Tenchi, if she'd gotten the small kiss on the forehead as Sasami did, or more, she would have blurted that out immediately to spite Ayeka. A grin formed on her face as she faced her frequent nemesis with confidence again.

"Well, I guess if you've given him your present, it's my turn now. I should be getting back then, I'd hate for Tenchi to be left dwelling on whatever it was you managed to produce as a gift for too long. Mine will be sure to remind Tenchi that I'm correcting your mistakes as well. Goodbye, Ryoko."

Ayeka turned and stalked back to the house with a stiff back, the smirk on her face now hidden from Ryoko's view. Ryoko just watched her go, her eyes doing their best to burn a hole in Ayeka's back.

--

Tenchi slipped in the door and headed for the stairs to his room when a voice froze him in his tracks. He turned to regard the red-haired scientist as she stood in the doorway to the kitchen, a half-eaten sandwich grasped in her left hand, a glass in her right.

"Slinking in the front door again," Washu said with a chuckle. "Let me guess, my daughter and the Princess are having a tiff? So, Tenchi, whatcha got in the box?"

"Ah, hi, Little Washu. Er, it's just some flowers. My mother used to like these, and Ryoko got them for me."

"Ryoko, huh? You know, Tenchi, isn't it usually appropriate for the boy to give flowers to the girl? I always figured you for the traditional type. Let me know if you're not, I can think of all kinds of untraditional things to try." Washu gave Tenchi a leer, then laughed some more.

"Hah, hah. They're not FOR me, they're to go on my mother's grave. It was really nice of her, you can't really find these flowers right now. Normally they're not in season."

"I see. Pretty thoughtful, then, for my daughter. I don't imagine Ayeka's caught you yet and done her thing?" At Tenchi's shaking head, she continued, "Didn't think so. Ah well, I've still got her and Mihoshi to wait for. I'm a pretty patient lady, though. It comes from being 20,000, I think.

"Ah, Washu? What's going on, if I could ask? Suddenly everyone's giving me stuff for no reason. I suspect my dad had something to do with it, but why all of a sudden, and... well... why?"

Washu shook her head while chewing another bite of sandwich, then washed it down with what appeared to be water. Then her face took on a serious look, causing Tenchi to involuntarily lean forward.

"Well, it's like this, Tenchi..." Washu paused for dramatic effect, and Tenchi caught himself holding his breath. She continued, "I can't tell you," and then she laughed her strange laugh.

Tenchi stumbled forward, caught off-balance by the surprise non-revelation. After composing himself, and closing his mouth, he regarded Washu with a frown.

"It's not that I wouldn't like to, of course, but I think this is one of those things you should figure out for yourself, if you know what I mean. You're a smart guy, Tenchi, well sometimes any way, give it some thought and see what you come up with. I'm not gonna ruin anything for anyone by spilling the beans."

The serious look was back on her face, and Tenchi considered what she'd said for a moment. It wasn't the actual answer, but she'd given the impression there was a reason behind it all. He'd probably find out eventually.

Tenchi said, "All right then. If I'm gonna take these flowers out there, I probably shouldn't look and smell like I just lost a fight with Grandpa, even if that is what just happened. I guess I'll go clean up."

Washu watched him turn for the stairs, and after a couple steps called out, "Need any help?" Tenchi just ignored her as he disappeared up the stairs. Washu shook her head, then laughed and walked back through the closet door to her lab with the remains of her lunch still in hand.

--

Ayeka waited patiently, at least in her own mind. She'd wanted to give Tenchi her gift as soon as she could, but he'd obviously wanted to go put the flowers on his mother's grave right away. She'd been ready to protest and give him the yukata first, but after consideration, realized it would probably make a better impression after he got back, as he'd forget about it while he was visiting the grave site. Plus Ryoko wouldn't have time with Tenchi to try and sway him towards her cause by knowing what Ayeka's gift was.

Soon enough, the two came walking back towards the house, Ryoko once again hanging on Tenchi's arm possessively. Ayeka fought down a surge of frustration, knowing that now of all times would not be right to pick a fight with Ryoko in front of Tenchi.

Tenchi's reactions had so far been puzzling, and exciting, and worrisome all together. Squeezing Kiyone's shoulder (even if the woman hadn't been intentionally trying to catch his interest as she claimed), kissing Sasami's forehead, inviting Ryoko to his mother's grave. He was opening up slightly, and probably didn't realize he was doing it. But would it continue? Ayeka certainly hoped so, but they could all be coincidence up to now, and he'd revert to his usual reserved, non-committal ways again.

She stepped forward as the two approached the house, earning a nasty look from Ryoko which she barely even acknowledged. Tenchi looked up at her, and she could see the sadness still residing in his eyes, but a calmness in his presence.

"Could I have a bit of your time, Lord Tenchi?" she asked.

Tenchi's eyes flicked briefly to Ryoko then returned to Ayeka, and he answered, "Ah, sure, I suppose so. Just a moment."

Tenchi turned to face Ryoko, and said, "Thanks, Ryoko. It was nice to have someone there with me. I really appreciate what you did, getting the flowers for me. I guess I'll see you for supper then."

Ryoko looked between Tenchi and Ayeka momentarily, then decided not to make an issue of it. "Okay, Tenchi," she said, then flew over and quickly planted a quick kiss on his cheek before heading into the air to fly back to the house.

"Why, you..." Ayeka growled, then calmed herself as Ryoko disappeared into the house through the roof. She took a deep breath, then pulled the small package out from behind her back where she'd been holding it the whole time so Ryoko wouldn't see it. "This is for you, Lord Tenchi."

Tenchi took the bundle from her, and carefully untied the string holding it together. He opened the paper wrapping and paused at the sight of the lavender cloth inside. He looked up to Ayeka, and asked, "Is this...?"

Ayeka just nodded, and watched as he pulled his mother's yukata out and held it up for inspection. He turned it around a few times, checking all the seams and a smile slowly formed on his face.

"This is wonderful, Ayeka. It looks perfect. Ryoko tried, but she just didn't know how, and I was always afraid I'd just make it worse if I tried. Thank you."

"You're very welcome, Lord Tenchi. It was my pleasure, really."

Ayeka's brows wrinkled slightly as she watched Tenchi looking back and forth between the yukata and herself a few times. "Ah, is something the matter Lord Tenchi?"

"What? Oh, no, everything is just fine. Actually, I was just thinking, it's a shame to keep this closed up in a box just so I can look at it from time to time. I was just thinking it might fit you. And if it didn't, I'm sure you could fix it so that it did. Here, Ayeka, you should keep this, and wear it sometime."

Tenchi folded up the yukata and handed it back to the stunned Ayeka. She took it in her trembling hands, unable to look him in the face at that moment, afraid tears might burst from her eyes if she did.

"A-are you sure? I mean, that it's okay?"

"Of course, I wouldn't have offered if I didn't mean it, Ayeka."

"All right, then. Thank you Lord Tenchi, that is most generous of you."

"You're welcome. You know, I think the color will go well with your hair. It should look nice on you." Tenchi paused at the suddenly blank look in Ayeka's eyes. "Ah, are you all right?"

A stunned and speechless Ayeka never answered his question, so surprised was she by his compliment. He thought she would look nice in it?

"Ayeka? Ayeka?" Concerned now, Tenchi reached out to shake her gently by the shoulder.

"Oh, oh my! I'm sorry. Yes, I'm fine Tenchi. I was just thinking, that's all."

"Okay, then. Well, we probably ought to go in. I'm sure Sasami's going to be cooking something delicious for supper, and it wouldn't do to make everyone wait for us, would it?"

"Yes, yes, you're right of course. Let's go in."

Tenchi turned for the house, and Ayeka quickly decided to make a move. She stepped up beside him, and wrapped her arm in his much like Ryoko had been doing earlier. Tenchi glanced at her but then shrugged and headed into the house, Ayeka smiling broadly on his arm.

"Why that dirty, no-good..." growled Ryoko as she emerged from the ground where she'd been watching and listening nearby. She floated up over the house, and disappeared through the roof once more, muttering darkly to herself the entire time.

--

"Wow, that was so yummy! Is there any more?" Mihoshi looked around the table hopefully, but everything that had been brought out by Sasami was gone, as was generally the case. The scene playing itself out had happened many times before, but no matter how many times they'd witnessed it, everyone in the house always managed to be surprised by how much Mihoshi could eat.

"I'm sorry, Mihoshi, that's all I made. I'm sure if you're still hungry, we could probably find you something else. A sandwich maybe..." Sasami was starting to get to her feet, but was restrained by Kiyone's hand on her arm.

"Don't bother, Sasami," said Kiyone. "She'll survive, she just eats so fast, her brain hasn't caught up to her stomach yet."

"I'm not sure her brain is capable of catching up," mumbled Ryoko quietly.

A few scowls caused Ryoko to clam up, and resume her glaring at Ayeka which had taken place most of the meal. Ayeka had been enjoying it thoroughly, and had done her best to monopolize conversation with Tenchi.

Ryoko looked about ready to burst, but as she opened her mouth to speak, Washu's voice interjected, "So, Tenchi? How far along are we? Come to any conclusions yet?"

"Er, conclusions?" Tenchi looked puzzled, trying to decide what Washu meant. "Oh, you mean what's been going on today? Nah, I figured it'd hit me eventually."

Washu shook her head, then said, "Dense, dense, dense. Perhaps we should make your statement literal, maybe that'd shake a few things loose in there." Washu looked around and received puzzled looks from everyone, then threw up her hands. "Geez, I realize I'm the resident genius, but come on people. Ah, whatever. Who's up next?"

"Next? Oh, I guess it'd be Mihoshi," Tenchi answered.

"Oh, it's my turn? Goody!" Mihoshi's face brightened into a bigger smile as she clapped her hands.

Ayeka fought off the scowl forming on her face from realizing her time as the most recent present-giver was about to end. She noticed the glum looks Ryoko and Sasami had on their faces, and felt a little better.

Kiyone rolled her eyes, then sighed as she got to her feet. "I suppose we should all do what's needed to get out of the way for the time being, then. Tenchi, you run along with Mihoshi, we'll clean up around here." Kiyone got to her feet, and Sasami squeaked as she jumped up to start clearing things as well, her face a little red. Ryo-Ohki grabbed the nearest plate and headed for the kitchen with it.

"I'll be in my lab, Tenchi. Come see me when it's time." Washu got up and disappeared through the closet door as usual.

Ayeka and Ryoko glanced around, and when their eyes met, Ryoko raised her brows in an unspoken question and Ayeka nodded. Ryoko said, "I'll get the sake."

Ayeka answered, "Bring dishes this time." Ayeka walked quietly up the stairs to her room, while Ryoko took the more direct route straight through the walls and ceiling.

With everyone suddenly gone but the two of them, Tenchi said to Mihoshi, "Ah, I guess we should go. Your room?"

"Oh, yeah, it's in my room. Let's go." Mihoshi bounced her way up the stairs, Tenchi following behind. Eventually they reached her room, and Mihoshi headed right in, only to trip over a shoe laying right inside the door. She collapsed onto the futon with an "Eeek."

"Are you all right, Mihoshi?" Tenchi asked, hurrying in to check on her.

"Oh, I'm fine, Tenchi. I just need to clean up, that's all. Now then, where did I put it?" Mihoshi started looking around the room, and Tenchi found himself doing the same. He'd only been in this room a very few times since his father had moved back to town, mostly to help her and Kiyone move their things in. Piles of books and boxes of clothes were all over the place on one side of the room, on the other everything was stacked up neatly and organized.

Tenchi couldn't help smiling, wondering how the two managed to get along at all with such different personalities. But while Kiyone gave Mihoshi a lot of grief, you could still tell she liked her partner, and Mihoshi adored Kiyone.

She rummaged through a few piles, knocking things over in the process. "A-ha! There it is." She pulled the book from the bottom of a stack lying precariously on her dresser, and brought it over to him. "Here you go, Tenchi."

Tenchi accepted the book from her and looked at the cover, recognizing it instantly. "Where did you find this, Mihoshi? I've looked everywhere for it, I was certain it must have accidentally been thrown out."

"Oh, well, you see, first I looked on your shelf, and I found this thick brown hair, and I knew that had to be Ryo-Ohki's, so I figured she must have borrowed it."

"Oh, yeah, she did see me reading it a lot. She was the only one I ever let see me with it, I was always a little embarrassed, love poems and all." Tenchi smiled as he opened the book and looked inside.

"Well, any way, I talked to Ryo-Ohki, and she sent me to Sasami."

"You, ah, talked to Ryo-Ohki? How did you do that, she's only learned a few words so far, to my knowledge, and she rarely uses those."

"Oh, you just have to be able to read their expressions, that's all. I've interrogated enough criminals in my time who didn't want to talk. Well, then, Sasami, had loaned it to Ayeka, Ayeka had put it back in the library. I recognized your father's hand print from the dust on the top shelf in the library. I called their house, and Rea said she'd loaned it to Kasumi. I tracked it down there, and now, here it is. Ah, Tenchi?"

Tenchi was staring at Mihoshi in wonder, realizing what good fortune it had been for Mihoshi to decide to track it down. He doubted anyone else would even have picked up on all the clues necessary and been able to track it down, and so quickly. He shook his head to break out of his daze, and said, "Oh, sorry. Thank you, Mihoshi. This is very special to me. I can't thank you enough."

"You're welcome, Tenchi."

"You know, I probably shouldn't admit this, but my favorite poem in here is about a beautiful woman with eyes that capture a man's soul, or, well, something like that. Heh, I think it could have been written about you, Mihoshi." Tenchi turned away, rubbing his head furiously. "This is wonderful, Mihoshi, I'll try and keep better track of it from now on. I should go do some studying, now, though, so I've got time to go see Washu tonight. Thanks again."

Tenchi slipped out the door, leaving the bemused Mihoshi behind. "He thinks I'm beautiful?" She grabbed up a mirror, and looked in it carefully. "And my eyes could capture a man's soul?" She flopped on her futon with a wistful sigh, the mirror still in her hand. She closed her eyes, and the smile beamed out from her face as she fell asleep.

--

Tenchi stood outside the door to Washu's lab, deciding on his best course of action. He didn't notice the sidelong glances he was getting from everyone sitting in the living room as the turmoil raged in his head. Should he knock, and warn her he was coming, letting her prepare a trap? Or should he try and sneak in, risking running into some trap she might turn off if he knocked first?

"For goodness' sake, Tenchi. Be a man and walk in there. She told you to come visit her, didn't she? She wouldn't do anything to you when she invited you." Kiyone shook her head and rolled her eyes.

"Shows how much you know, Kiyone. You call yourself a detective? Washu's crazy, you know, she's just as likely to catch Tenchi and run some weird experiments as actually give him something. You know..." Ryoko turned back to Tenchi and called, "Hey, Tenchi, just forget about her. It's not worth going in that place. Make her bring it out here, if she really has something for you."

Tenchi appeared to actually give the idea some consideration, but then his shoulders slumped in defeat. "No, I told her I'd come see her in her lab, that's what I should do. I guess I'll knock first."

Tenchi knocked a few times, waited a bit, then slowly opened the door, knocking the little crab-shaped door-chime around. He poked his head in carefully and looked around. Nothing came jumping at him, so he relaxed a bit, then cautiously stepped inside.

"Hello, Tenchi. Just a minute, let me wrap this up." Washu punched keys on her terminal quickly, and then sat back as a few robotic arms quit spinning around some unknown device. A couple more keystrokes, and the entirety of the strange apparatus disappeared into subspace, and Washu spun around in her chair to face Tenchi.

"So, could you be any more of a scaredy-cat, Tenchi? How long were you standing out there, any way?" Washu chuckled, then burst out in a full cackling laugh as Tenchi blushed in embarrassment.

"You knew I was out there?" Tenchi asked.

"Yep. Actually, I put in some sensors in hopes of getting a little more warning of Mihoshi's surprise visits, and you were setting them off by standing out there. Are you afraid of little old me?"

"Hah, hah. I'm not afraid of you, Washu, I'm afraid of those experiments you always run on me. Well, I guess nothing's happened yet. You're the last one, Washu. What's up?"

"Right down to business, no chit-chat, no foreplay? Well, if that's the way you want it, then..." Washu stood up and started walking towards Tenchi, a grin on her face. He began to squirm as she neared, and she barely stifled her mocking laughter.

"Er, Washu? Uh, I don't think this is really appropriate, do you?"

"What's not appropriate? This?"

Washu planted herself in front of Tenchi, then reached out as if to touch him. Chuckling when he jumped back a step, she reached into the dimensional pocket she had just formed behind his head. She pulled out the small device she'd been building for this moment and looked at it momentarily. She then held it out to the still twitchy Tenchi standing before her.

Tenchi breathed a sigh of relief, then investigated the strange device Washu had given him. It had a small, circular base a few inches thick and around a dozen in diameter, a few small rods stuck up from the base, and the sides were covered with an array of buttons. And it was heavy, much more than he was expecting. He hefted it a bit, and queried Washu, "How much does this thing weigh?"

A puzzled look crossed Washu's face as she answered, "How much does it weigh? I don't know, the power source is still experimental, so I suppose it's pretty heavy. Is that all you want to know?"

"Ah, experimental? It's not dangerous, is it?" Tenchi nervously held the device a bit further away from himself.

"Of course not. I wouldn't give you something that was dangerous. Well, at least not as a present like this."

"Oh. Yeah, sorry Washu. Okay, so what is it?"

"Hooray! Finally the important question. Well, I call it a Psycho-layer Dynamic Potential Mnemonic Enhancer."

"A what?"

"A Psycho-layer Dynamic Potential Mnemonic Enhancer."

"I heard that part." Tenchi frowned at Washu. "What does it do?"

"You're asking the wrong questions, Tenchi. Don't blame me. Well, instead of me telling you, why don't you turn it on?"

Washu pointed at the large green button on the device, but just as Tenchi was about to push it she stopped him.

"Wait, before you turn it on, how about we set it down on something. I'd hate to have you drop it. It should theoretically withstand anything short of Mihoshi playing with it, but I'm not taking any chances."

Washu materialized a small table from somewhere, and Tenchi set the device down on it. He looked at her questioningly, and at her nod, he pushed the green button. The device whirred to life, and gradually an image formed of a woman.

Tenchi gasped and fought off the tears forming in his eyes. "M-mother?" was all he could manage to say.

Washu waited without answering, letting him absorb what he was seeing. He slowly walked around the table, watching the nearly two foot tall image being projected. Then as he walked a bit the image blurred and reformed into another image, obviously of the same woman, but with a small child standing holding her hand.

"What? But that was what I was..." Tenchi turned to face Washu, disbelief on his face.

"That's right Tenchi. Try thinking about something else you remember about her."

Tenchi concentrated a moment, and again the image blurred, then reformed into a new image of the woman arranging flowers. Tenchi started trembling, as more tears formed in his eyes.

"It's synchronized with your psycho-layer pattern, Tenchi. Whenever you remember a scene from your childhood, the device projects it for you to see. I think there might be some other memories besides your mother in there, you might want to test it, but it seems like your mother is the primary focus of all your old memories."

"It's... It's... Incredible." Tenchi watched in fascination as the image blurred from scene to scene, every one mirroring a memory from his childhood. "How far back does this go?"

"Well, to keep the thing small, I'd say it only encompasses your memories up until you're around seven or eight. I couldn't let everything run amok out here. We might accidentally find out what you're thinking."

"You didn't, er, look at some of my other memories, did you?"

"No, Tenchi. I tried to respect as much of your privacy as I could for this. I know you wouldn't want me poking around in there, so I stayed away from anything recent. Just the old ones."

Tenchi breathed a sigh of relief. While he didn't think there was anything all that specific to any of the girls, it wouldn't do for her to find some of the thoughts that had been running though his head lately. Not to mention some of his memories of being in the onsen when some of the ladies were there.

"What do the other buttons do?" Tenchi eyed the array of buttons which he hadn't pushed, wondering what she could have done beyond what he'd already seen.

"Well, some of them just add in a sort of background if you will. That one for instance," Tenchi pushed the button Washu indicated, "creates the image of cherry blossoms falling in addition to your memory."

Tenchi smiled, that was certainly a nice touch. He looked at Washu again, the question still apparent in his eyes.

"Oh most of the others are something similar, just tuning the image a bit and the like, if your memory is a little fuzzy after all this time. That one though," Washu pointed at a blue button, "puts some sound in with the image."

Tenchi again turned to the device in wonder. He concentrated a moment, and the image reformed to his mother and himself as a child. He was in bed, with his mother sitting on the side of the bed. He pushed the blue button, and suddenly the voice of his mother singing him a lullaby started emanating from the device.

This time Tenchi couldn't keep the tears from trickling out of his eyes. He listened for a while, lost in his memories. Washu formed a chair and sat down to leave him to his thoughts. She checked her watch a few times, and nodded when she saw Tenchi start shaking his head a bit.

"You should turn off the sound now, Tenchi. I'm sorry, but the sounds are harder to reproduce than just the images. They draw from your brain with a much stronger energy pattern. You're probably feeling a little bit of pain in your head right now?" Tenchi nodded as he pushed the blue button again. "I'm sorry about that, Tenchi, you'll only be able to run the sound for short stretches, and actually the images will strain you if you try and watch them for too long."

Tenchi again nodded, and wiped the tears from his cheeks as he turned off the device. "I need to go now, Washu. But thank you." He leaned over and hugged her, before picking up the device and leaving.

Washu watched him leave, and after the door closed said quietly, "No, thank you, Tenchi. For everything."

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	8. Chapter 7: New Diversions

Chapter 7: New diversions 

Queen Misaki of Jurai decided she needed to see her daughters again. She could only stand it for so long before the need to hug someone started coursing through her body. Her husband King Azusa had banned her from hugging him in public. Queen Funaho had politely requested the same, arguing the royal chiropractors and acupuncturists were overworked. While there were always others to hug, it wasn't quite as fulfilling as it was with family, and therefore a trip back to Earth was warranted. Besides, her daughter Sasami was probably coming up on a time when she'd need a talk from her mother about the facts of life.

She quickly walked down the short hall between hers and Funaho's chambers to see her 'sister'. She assumed that Funaho would probably want to come along as well to see her son Yosho, not to mention her great-grandson Tenchi. He wasn't technically Misaki's great-grandson, but she pretty much considered him one since there was more family to hug that way. She suspected that he might become her great-grandson by marriage at some point any way. Between her two daughters, one of them was bound to catch his eye for good. Ryoko and Mihoshi were both unquestionably beautiful and both had certainly seemed interested in him as well, but they just couldn't compete with two cute and adorable girls like her daughters.

She knocked on the door and waited patiently for a servant to open the door from the inside. Funaho was not really the type to use a maid, but she allowed the practice for security reasons.

Stepping inside, she said, "Funaho dear, I have an idea. Let's go to Earth and visit the kids, shall we?" Misaki assumed that Funaho would agree, and didn't waste any time selling the idea. She knew Funaho missed her son just like she missed her daughters. She'd mentioned it a few times recently. Now that Funaho actually knew where Yosho was, it hit her harder than when he had been missing for those 700 years. She'd missed him terribly of course, but couldn't do anything about it. Now she could.

Without even looking up from the papers she was reading, Funaho answered, "You know very well I want to go Misaki, but shouldn't we perhaps talk to Azusa first? He might have something to say about us leaving right when the Beldonan ambassador is coming to visit. He gets cranky whenever he has to be too polite to someone, and if we aren't around he might do something rash."

Misaki could see that Funaho was laughing to herself as the two of them shared a personal joke. King Azusa of Jurai had once made the mistake of assuming that if his wives chose to not be present when he entertained guests, he was free to flirt with some of the pretty ladies in attendance. They had found out of course, palace gossip took care of that. The two of them had privately corrected Azusa's errant behavior, and they were quite certain he would never try it again. They loved the king passionately, but he took a lot of work to keep from getting out of control. It was one reason that two wives were actually a good thing.

"Yes, yes, we'll tell him of course, not that he has any say in the matter. Who knows, he might actually have a message for some of the children he'd like us to bring along. I'm a little suspicious of his apparent lack of interest since our first visit. I expected him to try something before now, honestly. He's never been defied by his children so unanimously before. He'd never admit it, but it was probably good for him." Misaki was smiling broadly with Funaho, now. Poking fun at their husband behind his back was one of many activities the two of them enjoyed together.

Funaho scanned a few more lines on the page in her hand, then set it down neatly in a pile on her desk before answering, "Well, I have most of my affairs in order, should we go talk to him now?"

Misaki blinked, and then looked curiously at Funaho. She never had her 'affairs in order' so-to-speak. Information gathering was a never-ending task. Then Misaki frowned, as she realized Funaho's sources had probably informed her of Misaki's preparations to make a trip. Funaho had probably guessed correctly at the purpose behind her inquiries, and started making plans of her own. While she appreciated what Funaho did, as it helped her keep her husband safe, Misaki could never get used to the fact that Funaho's sources also included reports on herself as well. With an exasperated look for Funaho, she agreed. "After you."

The two left Funaho's apartments, and headed for the king's council chambers. He could usually be found there during the day, talking to one minister or another, or whoever it was who needed to talk to the king for some reason. After a walk of a few minutes, they arrived at the door used by the palace inhabitants and staff.

They stepped through the door, and caught King Azusa's attention. He was chatting with the Minister of Public Works, an event which always left him irritated. Azusa didn't have much interest in where and when statues and monuments should be built, and would prefer if he never had to deal with the man.

The minister was short and skinny, with a slightly upturned nose which only added to the effect of his nasally boring voice. Azusa interrupted quickly at the sight of his wives, thankful for any chance to get a break from the minister. "Excuse me a moment, Cianode, I see my wives need my attention for a moment. We'll pick this up momentarily." He excused himself, and stepped back to confer quietly with his wives, noticing as he did so the slightly conspiratorial looks on their faces. He'd learned to recognize that one as trouble over the many years he'd been married to them.

"Well, I see I'm probably going to be asked for something I don't want to give, so let's have it. What are you two up to?" While Azusa was thankful for having two beautiful, intelligent women such as those two for his wives, dealing with the two of them tested his patience.

Misaki answered, "Nothing special dear. We just want to go to Earth and visit the children. We thought you might want to pass on a message for them when we went"  
Azusa quickly noticed they weren't asking permission, and also weren't including him in the plans to visit. "Hmmm. Well, I'd prefer you not leave until after the Beldonan Ambassador's visit of course. They haven't had contact with us for almost 400 years, and it'd be an insult for them to not be greeted by the two of you as well. We'll discuss this after that"

Azusa waited, knowing he was going to be overruled, and curious which of the two was going to do it this time. Funaho's face had remained even, but he saw the telltale bulging in Misaki's eyes, and knew where the scolding was coming from. Ah well, the tongue lashing he would receive from her now would be repaid passionately later. Funaho was more even-tempered in all respects than Misaki, which translated to bedroom recreation as well. Misaki was much more energetic, though Funaho was often much more creative.

"You know very well we'll go whenever we decide to. And obviously we've decided we're going now. The Beldonan ambassador won't care one little bit whether we're there or not. Do you have a message for the kids or not?" Misaki's foot was tapping now too, and her arms were crossed. Azusa found her incredibly cute when she did that, but he managed to keep it to himself in general. It wasn't a good idea to laugh at her when she was mad.

"Ahem. Yes, well, that's not really appropriate you know. I am the king after all, and you're the Queens. We have appearances to keep up. Hosting foreign emissaries is an important part of that..." Azusa trailed off, barely hiding his smile as Misaki's frown deepened into a scowl.

"We'll do no such thing. You have 10 seconds to come up with a message for your children before we leave. Understand?" Misaki gave him her most meaningful look, knowing what his response would be. She didn't mind, they'd been playing these games for a long time. They'd been married too long and everyone knew each others mannerisms too well, it was mostly just for show any more.

Azusa finally let the mischievous smile break out on his face, then replied "Ah, yes, I suppose that's best then. You'll owe me, of course, for having to entertain without the two of you of you to relieve the boredom. What shall I make you do, then? It's going to have to be good..." The innuendo was obvious, and Misaki's face immediately relaxed into her own smile. Funaho's had never changed, but she smiled now as well.

"I'm sure we can think of something... between the two of us." Funaho's thinly disguised suggestion of a threesome was not lost on Azusa. They'd done it before, of course, but not frequently. Only when they wanted something important from him. He got what he wanted, and they got what they wanted. The ability to compromise successfully was a reason their multiple marriage had worked so well for so many years. Jealousy and inhibition might have caused it to fail, but Azusa knew how fortunate he was to have found two women so willing to work together with him.

--

Kiyone found herself once again sitting in the office of her commanding officer, though this time it was only Section Chief Sakai's office. She was here for a quarterly review, and not happy about how things were going. She masked her frustration and answered his questions as best she could, wondering the whole time how much longer Section Chief Nobeyama was going to be on leave before he came back on duty and managed her section of space again. Reporting to someone besides Sakai would be a relief.

"So then," Sakai droned on, "you pretty much have four stops for traffic violations, two arrests for improper cargo manifests, and one arrest of a petty thief trying to escape through your space, in three months time."

Kiyone answered, "That's correct, sir."

He continued, "I must say, that doesn't seem up to your standards, detective. And the expenses put in for by your partner and yourself seem somewhat, how should I put this... extravagant."

Kiyone gritted her teeth, and bit back all of her excuses to blame everything on Mihoshi. It wouldn't get her anywhere right now, she'd save it for when Nobeyama returned.

"We had a couple mishaps. Mostly routine stuff gone awry, sir. We really need to get the missile racks refitted. I can't help that Yukinojo takes special ordinance."

"Yes, that is true, Yukinojo is a rather unique ship. Unfortunately, the expense is a little beyond your budget for the moment. I'll pass this on to Commander Watanabe, he'll have the final say."

Kiyone made a note to stop in and see the GP dentists before leaving, all the gnashing wasn't going to be good for her teeth. "All right, sir. I understand."

"Well, I should have enough information to finalize your review. You should be able to access it in a week or so. Was there anything else to discuss while you're here?"

"Well, not really. I guess I was wondering how things were going with my old team. Any word on them? I haven't been able to track any of them down, no one has answered my correspondence." Kiyone was fishing, she was hoping to find out if her team had gone back undercover without her for some reason.

"Your, ah, old team? No, ah, no news. I'm sure they're just busy with their new assignments. Hush, hush, you know."

Kiyone kept the irritated look off of her face, but that was what she'd thought. Apparently the team had gone back out again, but for some reason she'd been left behind and stranded in a dead-end job with Mihoshi instead of a good assignment again. Someone had it out for her, and she suspected she knew who, she just didn't know why.

"Okay, thank you sir. I'll be going then."

Kiyone rose to her feet, saluted, and then left the office to try and find the nearest snack shop. She needed to grab something for the trip back that was a little better than what Yukinojo made available. It was nutritionally sound, but not really satisfying for the foul mood Kiyone was in at the moment.

Sakai wiped his brow as the door closed. This was a risky game he was playing. He'd been keeping quiet about the disappearances of Kiyone's old team. Kiyone was now the only one left, and the only person who knew her entire former team was dead was Sakai himself.

--

"Kiyone," shouted a voice from behind her.

Kiyone spun around, dropping a few bags of snacks in the process. Her scowl deepened, and she was ready to lay into whoever had shouted her name when she recognized Grace Sakumi. She mentally calmed herself down, not wanting to take out her frustrations on the innocent young woman.

"Hiya, Grace. Look, I'm kind of in a hurry to get out of here. I hope you don't mind if I don't stay to chat."

"Oh, well, that's okay. I just wanted to be sure I at least got to say hi. Ah, I guess it didn't go well?"

"No comment. Look, like I said, I wanna get going, but can you do something for me? My old team is back out on assignment. Can you keep an eye out and let me know what they might be doing? I'm not asking you to tell me anything classified, just what kind of assignment they got that I didn't."

"Er, yeah, I'll do that, Kiyone. Well, bye then."

"Bye, Grace."

--

(A few days later)

Kiyone smashed her alarm clock as it buzzed, and immediately pulled herself back underneath the covers. She wasn't in the mood to go on patrol today, Mihoshi could do it by herself. It's not like anything ever happened that needed two officers, anyway.

"Kiyone?"

"Go by yourself, Mihoshi. I'm not in the mood. You can handle it, you did it before I got here."

"But, but, Kiyone. That's against regulations. It's our duty."

"Stuff duty, at least for today. This wasteland of a section of space will survive one day without me on patrol. Look, Mihoshi, I just need to let off some steam, and being stuck on Yukinojo without anything to do isn't going to help."

"Well, okay Kiyone. I hope you feel better. You know, I haven't had a review since I got stationed out here. I wonder why..."

Mihoshi wandered out, and Kiyone once again pulled the covers up, this time all the way over her head. As usual, Mihoshi just managed to make her angrier without even knowing what she was doing. After a while she realized that laying in bed wasn't going to appeal to her either. She got up, stripped out of her pajamas, and threw on her most comfortable outfit, her stretchy pants and bulky sweater. She combed her hair, arranged her headband, and slowly headed downstairs to face the day.

Mihoshi was already gone, a strange occurrence, in fact everyone was gone already. Mihoshi wasn't usually quick to get going, lingering over Sasami's cooking, and having to retrieve numerous objects she needed or wanted to bring along, such as her gun. Kiyone was relieved though, she might have exploded if faced with Mihoshi any more this morning.

She sighed and headed for the kitchen to grab something for breakfast, though it would certainly not be as good as eating a warm breakfast Sasami had just made. She entered to find Sasami working on something that smelled delicious, probably a dessert of some kind.

"Hello, Sasami. Sorry I missed breakfast. I don't suppose I could get something to eat now?"

"Hi Kiyone. Of course you can. It'll be cold but I'm sure I've got something around here you can eat."

Sasami put down the utensils she'd been working with and rummaged through the fridge, grabbing a few things that would probably still turn out to be a better breakfast than anything Kiyone used to eat before finding herself stuck here. Sasami was quite possibly the best cook Kiyone had ever encountered and she was still a young woman. She also seemed to thoroughly enjoy the experience of cooking for everyone which was also strange for someone her age.

She sat down to eat what was indeed still a very tasty meal, and watched Sasami get back to work. The young girl hummed quietly at times, probably not even conscious she was doing it any more. It looked like she was working on more than one dessert in fact, possibly a couple, or perhaps something that was going into the meal at lunchtime at any rate. A thought crossed Kiyone's mind.

"Sasami?"

"Yes?"

"Do we actually manage to eat everything you make?"

"Well, sometimes, but not always. It kinda depends on Mihoshi. I usually try and make enough in case she's really hungry, but sometimes I guess wrong."

"Hmmm..."

Kiyone chewed more on the idea forming in her head. Sasami happily continued cooking whatever it was she was cooking, and Kiyone was certain she was moving onto something else, another new dish of some kind. That settled it, there was definitely some potential there.

"Well, thanks for breakfast Sasami. I'll see you later, I think I'm gonna go check out Tenchi in the field. I skipped out on my real work, I ought to do something, at least."

"Okay, Kiyone. Bye. I think Tenchi's coming back for lunch, so I'll see you then."

Kiyone walked out, and headed for the fields, making a quick stop in her room to put on some better work clothes. She'd forgotten all about her irritation with her situation in life and Mihoshi by the time she reached the fields to help Tenchi and Ryo-Ohki.

--

Later that day, Kiyone watched as Tenchi sparred unsuccessfully with his grandfather. A short conversation with Tenchi as they'd returned from the fields had piqued her curiosity, so she'd asked if she could watch his practice.

(THWACK)

"Owww!"

"Tenchi! Pay attention."

"Sorry, grandpa. All right, again?"

"Mmmm," Yosho nodded.

The two again squared off, and began sparring. Kiyone was pleasantly surprised. She'd expected them to be very capable fighters, but from what she'd witnessed, they were much more than that. Tenchi was extremely skilled, Kiyone wouldn't want to face him without a gun, and from a distance. As good as Tenchi was, he got rapped about consistently by Yosho. He probably was the best swordsman in the galaxy just as Ayeka claimed. You never knew for certain, though.

She watched the two blur through numerous forms and styles. Sweat poured off of Tenchi, and Yosho appeared to be perspiring as well. It wasn't an incredibly warm day, but Tenchi had taken his shirt off a while ago, and Kiyone had been admiring his lean muscles as surreptitiously as possible. She wouldn't ever admit that Mihoshi had been right in noticing Kiyone found him a bit attractive. He was still boring, though.

Yosho once again scored a solid hit on Tenchi, and Kiyone chuckled as he rubbed the back of his shoulder. She got up to leave, having seen as much as she wanted to for the day. She waved at the two and thanked Yosho for letting her watch, then headed back for the house. Only a short distance down the path a movement caught her eye, causing her to freeze. She looked where the movement had been, and after a few moments saw a tiny bit of blue hair from behind one of the bushes.

Kiyone considered calling to her momentarily, then realized Sasami might not want people to know she was there. With a chuckle, Kiyone moved off towards the house again. The girl was infatuated by Tenchi like most everyone else around here, so it wasn't surprising she would sneak out to watch, especially at her age. She'd probably been doing it for a while, with no one the wiser.

She'd only wandered a little farther down the path when she heard rustling behind her, and she stopped to see Sasami carefully backing out of the bushes so as to not get anything on her clothes. The urge was too great for Kiyone this time, she stepped into Sasami's view with a smile on her face.

"Helloooo, Sasami," said Kiyone.

The young princess jumped dramatically, easily getting a foot in the air and a few feet backwards. Sasami relaxed when seeing who it was, then turned bright red and looked sheepishly back towards where Tenchi and his grandfather were still sparring.

"Er, hi Kiyone. What are you doing out here?"

"Oh, I asked if I could watch Yosho and Tenchi practicing. I'm no swordswoman, but I can appreciate some of the techniques. It's good to remind myself that in my line of work you might have to fight someone occasionally. So, what are you doing out here?"

Sasami squirmed, opening her mouth to say something that never came out. Kiyone couldn't stop herself from chuckling out loud, the girl was so embarrassed at having been caught watching Tenchi.

"That's not nice Kiyone!"

"I'm sorry Sasami, you're right, but you should see your face right now. Look, I won't say anything about you sneaking out here to watch Tenchi if you don't want me too. I think it's cute, really. I can't remember my first crush, but I'm sure I probably did something like that when I had it."

Relief flooded Sasami's face, and she ran over to squeeze Kiyone in a hug. She exclaimed, "Thank you, Kiyone! Please don't tell anyone!"

"I... won't... tell... really... please... let... go...," Kiyone panted.

"Oh, sorry, Kiyone." Sasami let go, and dropped back sheepishly again. "You can't tell anyone, though. People would get upset."

Kiyone verified that all her ribs were still intact after Sasami's bear hug, and seeing that they were she considered that Sasami didn't name anyone specifically. She was curious who Sasami was most afraid of having find out. Her sister seemed likely, but considering how Ryoko flew off the handle when people made advances at Tenchi, you probably wouldn't want her to find out either. Actually, with Sasami it was probably everyone, she seemed to be the type who wouldn't want to upset anyone in any way, if possible. She turned and started walking back towards the house, and Sasami fell in beside her silently.

"He looks pretty good, though, doesn't he?" asked Sasami.

Kiyone stumbled, then caught herself. She hadn't been expecting any more conversation from Sasami, and especially not a question like that. That was a question she really didn't want to answer in this house. Her face turned red as she caught the quiet chuckle from Sasami, and as she looked at the younger girl's grinning face, she realized Sasami had done it on purpose.

"Score one for Sasami. Yeah, I suppose he does. Don't tell anyone I said so, though, okay? Someone might get upset."

The two shared a laugh at their joint predicament, then Sasami nodded her agreement. They continued into the house in silence, interrupted only by Ryo-Ohki flying out of the house and jumping up onto Sasami's shoulder.

--

Tenchi mopped the sweat off of his face after his workout. His grandfather was doing likewise, which made Tenchi feel good. He still couldn't actually beat him, but at least he was making him work hard enough to break a sweat now. After he'd gotten dried off as best he could, he pulled his shirt back on. Routine had him putting things away without even thinking about it while his grandfather left to begin his own activities, so it caught him by surprise to hear his grandfather's voice.

"You seem to have another admirer, Tenchi. Is she perhaps the one?"

"Wh-what? I don't... oh, you mean Kiyone? She was just here to watch practice cause she was curious, that's all." Tenchi turned to pick things up, then collapsed to the ground as a wooden sword struck the back of his head. "Owww. What was that for?"

"Fool boy! You're going to treat her like all the others then? So be it."

Katsuhito tossed the practice sword to Tenchi who caught it in his left hand while rubbing his sore head with his right. His grandfather walked off without another word, leaving the puzzled Tenchi watching him walk away.

Tenchi stood back up, collected everything and stored it away properly, then headed for his house again. What was his grandfather's problem? Kiyone was just a friend of Mihoshi's, wasn't she? She didn't act like any of the other ladies, never groped him, or hugged him, or flirted with him, or teased him, or any of those things. She didn't even seem to be happy about living here, she complained from time to time about how her career was in the toilet due to her posting on Earth. Surely his grandfather was mistaken.

Satisfied that he was right and his grandfather was wrong.... He stumbled, realizing what he had just convinced himself of. In all the time he'd known his grandfather, how often had Tenchi been the one who was right and his grandfather was wrong? Was it possible that Kiyone really did like him? A little bit of worry crept into Tenchi at the thought. That was a complication he just didn't need. He couldn't figure out what to do already, that would just make it worse.

--

Ayeka was just stepping out of Kiyone's room as Kiyone arrived. Her eyebrow quirked up in question as she faced the Juraian princess.

Kiyone asked, "Were you looking for something, Ayeka?"

"Oh, hello Kiyone. No, I was just dropping off the clothes I'd mended for you and Mihoshi, along with that new pair of pants Mihoshi wanted. I finally finished them, so I figured I should bring them up. I hope you don't mind but I put them inside since neither of you were around."

"Thank you, Ayeka. That was nice of you. We really appreciate that, you know. Wearing our GP uniforms isn't a good idea, but we don't have much of a budget for Earth clothes." A thought flitted through Kiyone's mind. "Can I ask you something?"

"Of course."

"How does a princess of the Juraian empire become such a good seamstress? It doesn't seem like a skill that a princess would have much call to learn. I know I'd just put holes in my fingers if I tried to do it, and I actually have a little reason to know how."

"Hmmm. It's hard to say for sure. They always teach you to do a few things growing up, princess or not, never knowing what kind of person will like what. It's probably similar to how Sasami seems to like cooking so much. I find it relaxing in a lot of ways, it leaves your mind free to think things through while you're getting some work done. You can't daydream too much, of course, but enough that I can think through most of my troubles if I want. Yes, that's probably it."

Kiyone considered it a bit, and that made as much sense as anything. For some reason Sasami cooking had never struck her as all that unusual, but Ayeka sewing did. Strange how the mind worked sometimes.

"With all the people in this house, doesn't sewing and mending take up most of your time, especially since you also help with the cleaning some of the time?"

"It's not so bad, actually. You'd be surprised how much sewing you can get done when you're really concentrating on it. I could make a lot of new clothes for everyone if people needed it and I had the materials to work with. Tenchi won't let us convert any Juraian money to spend on things like that, though, even though it would be an insignificant amount for Sasami or I."

"Yeah, I've noticed that. Not that I have much money, but I wouldn't mind buying a few things now and then, I do have a job that pays me, after all. I sometimes wonder how much money Nobuyuki and Yosho have to contribute to keep things afloat around here. With all the Sake you and Ryoko go through, it's a miracle we can buy food." Kiyone smiled as nicely as she could to let Ayeka know it was a mild jest, nothing more, though she earned a sniff any way.

"I'm sure Ryoko drinks much more than I ever could. Your partner drinks some, too, you know."

"Easy. It was a simple joke, I didn't mean anything by it, really. I've been known to knock some back on occasion, though I guess I haven't really since I got here, now that I think about it. Well, except that time Mihoshi nearly got us suspended by destroying a couple of the broadcast satellites here. I couldn't stop her from using the missiles. Aarrgghh! That woman is still a menace, I don't care who her grandfather is."

"Yes, well, I suppose I do occasionally drink a bit myself." Ayeka colored a bit, but offered a friendly smile. "It's a bit hard to imagine Mihoshi as a real GP officer, even though I know she is. Her luck is terrifying, I've never seen someone scrape through so many things that should kill anyone else. Why, last week alone, she tripped off of the top of the shrine stairs at least twice. I'm quite certain she went to the bottom one of those times."

"Uggh. Don't remind me. I was at the bottom." Kiyone rubbed her shoulder momentarily, feeling a phantom twinge from the bruise she'd gotten from being knocked down by Mihoshi. "Well, thanks again, Ayeka."

"You're most welcome, Kiyone."

Ayeka watched Kiyone's back as the detective entered her room and closed the door. A scowl fought with a smile on Ayeka's face. She was just another rival for Tenchi, no matter how nice she might be. How she survived partnering with Mihoshi was a mystery, however.

--

The small brown van pulled up near Tenchi's house without any notice. Nobuyuki and Rea exited the vehicle and approached the house, stopping to knock on the door. Nobuyuki clutched a long tube in one hand. A few moments later the door was opened by the small form of Ryo-Ohki. She looked at the two arrivals then jumped up and down with a great "Miya!" A few heads peeked around from various locations, and greetings were issued as the newcomers stepped into the house.

"Oh, Nobuyuki, Rea, it's great to see you. Oh, I'll go grab a couple extra plates." Sasami hustled into the kitchen, returning shortly with a few extra dishes which she arranged, crowding the table somewhat to make space.

"That's great, Sasami. I've missed your cooking... Ouch!" Nobuyuki winced, and rubbed his back where Rea had punched him. "Sorry, dear. Your cooking is excellent as well, just different from Sasami's."

Rea addressed Nobuyuki with a stern look, "Of course. I'll remember that."

Nobuyuki winced again, this time not from the pain of her blow. He sighed, and then turned back to face everyone. "Well, I suppose you're all wondering why we're here. Tenchi, I've brought the plans." Nobuyuki held forth the tube he'd brought along. "I was hoping you might convince Washu to put this together. Without any, ah, modifications, if you know what I mean."

Tenchi stepped up to take the tube, and slipped the architectural drawings out just far enough to see that there were a large number of designs inside. He then slipped them back inside, and nodded to his father.

"I'll give them to her, but I can't guarantee anything beyond that. She doesn't take suggestions about how she should do things very well, and she never met an idea that she didn't think she could improve upon. Hopefully she'll listen this time."

"Thanks, Tenchi," Nobuyuki said.

"Listen to what?"

Everyone jumped as Washu's voice broke from the doorway she'd just stepped through. A rub of his head, and Tenchi answered, "Um, dad put together the drawings for a little guest house for when he and Rea come to visit on weekends and such, so they don't have to put anyone out of their room in the house. We were hoping you might be able to get it built fairly quickly. He put a lot of work into the designs for it, though, Washu. Could you have it built pretty much to his design, without changing things?"

Washu snorted, then held out her hand and said, "Let me take a look."

Tenchi handed the tube over, and Washu slipped out the plans, and flipped through them one by one, studying each one only briefly. A few moments passed until she reached the last drawing, then she looked up and said, "Piece of cake. Looks more like a bachelor pad for you, though, Tenchi."

"Wh-what? Why would you think that?" Tenchi stammered, his face growing red.

"Oooooh, Tenchi. You were looking for a little private getaway for just the two of us, weren't you?" Ryoko sidled up and draped herself around Tenchi from behind, running her finger in circles on his chest.

"Get off of Lord Tenchi! Why would he build a house to be alone with you of all people? You harass him all the time already." Ayeka pulled Ryoko off of Tenchi, almost-visible sparks shooting between the two.

The usual melee started, Mihoshi and Tenchi ineffectively trying to break the two up, Sasami watching with remorse in her eyes. After a few moments Ryo-Ohki had witnessed all she could stand and started crying, just adding to the bedlam. Rea came to the little cabbit-girl, taking her in her arms, and with a loud voice called out, "I think that will be enough. You've made Ryo-Ohki cry."

Everyone immediately fell silent, except for the still-crying Ryo-Ohki. Numerous apologies were given and pleasantries spoken until Ryo-Ohki calmed down again.

"Perhaps we should sit down for supper?" suggested Rea, and everyone quickly agreed.

A relatively quiet meal passed, Nobuyuki and Rea catching up on events from the house and passing on their own. When everyone had finished, Nobuyuki and Rea got ready to leave. Nobuyuki said, "We need to get going. I want to stop by and visit with father for a bit. The building materials will start being delivered soon, Little Washu. Goodbye, everyone."

Everyone called and waved their goodbyes as the couple left, then retired to various pursuits, mostly in front of the television. Washu pulled out the drawings again and looked through them more carefully, humming to herself, and occasionally jotting notes. Tenchi glanced over her shoulder on a trip to the kitchen, and froze when he noted what she'd written.

"Uh, Washu, no modifications, remember? I don't think it needs that." Tenchi pointed to a scribble, turning red. "In fact, that's not even part of the house. We just need you to build the house, not the furniture, too."

Washu laughed, and regarded him with mirth in her eyes. He stepped back nervously as she said, "Oh come on, Tenchi. A private little getaway like that place ought to have the right equipment inside. I mean that's what the house is for, isn't it?"

"Dad just wants a place to stay when he and Rea come over, so our house doesn't get crowded. He just wants some privacy, he doesn't..." Tenchi broke off as his face went from red to green. "I really don't want to think about that, Washu. No furniture, okay? Just the plans as my dad gave them to you."

Washu sighed, and erased a few of her notes. She shook her head as she said, "Too bad. We could've had a lot of fun in there when your dad wasn't around. We still could, I suppose, but apparently you're not ready for the really creative stuff yet. Not surprising I suppose, you apparently aren't ready for the really basic stuff, either. Oh well."

Tenchi quickly slipped away, not wanting to continue the conversation, and Washu laughed to herself again. She picked up all the plans and headed back to her lab, trying to decide how best to build the small house.

--

Kiyone watched Ryo-Ohki playing with the small objects for a while, curious what they were and where they had come from. They looked like little red balls of some kind, perfectly shaped, and decidedly shiny. In fact they looked quite a bit like the ones Ryoko often wore as earrings. A glance at Ryoko confirmed this fact, making Kiyone curious.

Kiyone asked, "Ryoko? Are those things Ryo-Ohki's playing with some of your earrings?"

Ryoko regarded her curiously for a moment, then answered, "Yep. I've been making a few spares lately, cause she likes to play with them." Ryoko nodded in Ryo-Ohki's direction. "I think she must get a little charge out of them or something. Without me wearing them, they shouldn't be anything but harmless crystal balls, but maybe she can sense something in them, I don't know."

"Sense something? So there's more than just a shiny piece of glass in them?"

"Yeah. I use them to help me control certain abilities. They're just copies, since Tenchi won't give the originals back."

Tenchi flinched, then shot back, "Hey, grandpa's tree needs them Ryoko, I can't give them back. Not until we can figure something else out, any way."

"Copies?" asked Kiyone.

"Yeah. I suppose you don't know the whole story. Not that it's any of your business, but I'm sure your blabbermouth partner will tell you if I don't, so here goes. I had three gems," Ryoko glanced menacingly at Tenchi who pretended to ignore her, "which are the source for a lot of my power. When Yosho stuck me in the cave, he sealed me up by absorbing my three gems into that fancy sword Tenchi has. With all three I'm a terror on a major level. Planets tremble."

Ayeka snorted from her seat, but continued looking at the television.

Ryoko turned to yell at Ayeka, but caught an angry shake of his head from Tenchi, and subsided. She turned back to Kiyone to continue, "Any way, I've only got one of the originals right now, so I make copies to help balance things out. All my power is concentrated in my left side, otherwise. It's not the same as having one of the originals, but it gets me by. Since Ryo-Ohki gets her power from the gems through me, she might feel a bit of something from these, even though they're not the real thing. Nobody else would think they were anything except a heavy piece of colored glass."

"Interesting," answered Kiyone. "Are they dangerous? I mean, there's some kind of power wrapped in there somehow."

"Nah. They lose their power pretty quick when I don't have them. They used to just disappear when I dropped them, but I figured out how to make them stick around so I can charge 'em back up again instead of making new ones all the time. She gets a few toys that way, too." Ryoko smiled at Ryo-Ohki who was now playing catch with Sasami with the small balls.

Kiyone reached down to pick up one from the floor that wasn't in use and looked at it carefully. It was very pretty, probably nicer than anyone could make out of just glass. Some more advanced materials might be about as good, but they were quite striking.

She looked at Ryoko again, another question coming to mind, "So how fast can you make these things?"

Ryoko gave her another quizzical look before answering, "I dunno. I've never tried to make a whole bunch or anything. Maybe one a week if I really worked at it, probably more like every other week if I only worked on it occasionally."

Kiyone nodded, finalizing some ideas that had been flitting about in her brain. She glanced over at Tenchi who had been listening to the conversation with some interest, a puzzled look on his face as he looked back at Kiyone. She asked, "You realize you've got the makings of a thriving little enterprise living in this house, don't you, Tenchi?"

"How so?" he responded curiously.

"Well, you've got Sasami who can make tons more food than we could ever eat ourselves, assuming that walking stomach isn't hungry for some reason." Kiyone looked at Mihoshi, who had joined in the game of catch. "And then there's Ayeka who makes and mends clothes for everyone, and could probably do more if she had a reason. And these little balls Ryoko makes, you could sell these for a pretty penny, I'd bet." Kiyone flipped the little ball up in the air and caught it again.

"But, they don't need to do that," Tenchi protested. "We get along just fine the way things are right now."

"Oh, come on, Tenchi. What's wrong with a little extra spending money? I'm not saying you should turn this place into a sweatshop, just let them make some stuff to sell every once in a while. Goodness knows we could use the money to pay for all of the sake your father buys and those three drink." Kiyone's gaze indicated Ryoko, Ayeka, and Mihoshi with her last statement.

"Well, maybe... We'd have to be careful about it, though. We don't want people coming out here to the house all the time. There'd be too much chance of someone seeing something they shouldn't."

Kiyone smiled, he'd gone right for what she wanted. "No problem. I volunteer to take the family wares to the city every once in a while to sell them somewhere. I need an excuse to get out of here every once in a while, any way. I'm getting a little stir crazy."

"Well, I guess it's okay with me, if it's okay with them." Tenchi looked at the ladies in question, and all nodded.

Sasami said, "I'd love to, Tenchi. I've got all sorts of recipes to try out, it'd be lot's of fun."

Ayeka answered, "That would be fine, Lord Tenchi. I could certainly do that if it would contribute something to the house. Mihoshi will have to take over most of the cleaning chores, however."

"Oh, that's okay. I don't mind," said Mihoshi.

"More sake? Sounds good to me," answered Ryoko, finally.

"Well, there you go Tenchi." Kiyone was exhilarated, finally something to do besides work in the fields or sweep the floors, and it would get her away from Mihoshi from time to time.

"Um, okay then. I guess if everyone wants to." Tenchi did his trademark head rub, then smiled at the beaming faces looking back at him.

"Yayyyy!" Mihoshi and Sasami clapped their hands, and Ryo-Ohki quickly joined in.

"Well then, now that that's settled, where's the nearest city, any way?" Kiyone asked.

Tenchi paused in thought momentarily, then answered, "Well, I suppose it'd be Kurashiki. If you mean a real city any way."

Kiyone didn't realize her mistake until after she said, "Right. Tomorrow you're taking me to Kurashiki. I need to look for someplace to set up shop." Only then did she realize she was getting looks ranging from concerned to angry from the other ladies present.

"What?????" screamed Ryoko. "If she's going, I'm going."

"Indeed," agreed Ayeka. "That seems only fair."

Mihoshi and Sasami nodded, prompting the same from Ryo-Ohki. Tenchi looked nervously around the room, considering the best answer. He didn't want anyone to get upset, but taking all the ladies into town together was a near-certain recipe for disaster. He gulped once, then said, "Actually, I think it's probably best if just Kiyone and I go. We'll attract too much attention together. We're just going to be looking at shopping stalls any way, that's hardly exciting." He was forced to hold up his hands as the expected protests started. "Ladies, please. We'll talk about this later. Trust me, you'll all be having more fun here than we will in Kurashiki."

Kiyone nodded appreciatively at seeing Tenchi holding up under everyone's protests. He didn't seem to enforce his will very often with most of them. It really was for the best, any way. There was no telling what might happen with anyone else along, and she and Tenchi could get things done much faster without the hassle.

"Well, if that's settled?" Tenchi looked around, receiving mostly bleak stares in return, but no one argued. "Good. Well, we'll need to catch an early bus tomorrow, Kiyone. It takes a while to get there. I think I'll let grandpa know I won't make practice tomorrow." Tenchi sighed, imagining the pain he was likely to suffer at his first workout afterwards. "Then I'm going to bed. You're gonna have to keep an eye on Ryo-Ohki tomorrow morning, Sasami."

Sasami nodded, then everyone started turning back to whatever they were doing, offering Tenchi calls of good night. Kiyone rose, and followed him out, planning to head to bed early as well so she could survive rising early to catch the bus.

Ryoko waited until the two were gone, then frowned and said, "Something's fishy here. How long has she been here? A few months? And now she's going to the city alone with Tenchi. He won't let any of us go farther than town, and she gets a trip to the city?"

"But you heard what he said, Ryoko. It's just better not to have us all along. I think he's afraid we won't behave." Sasami blushed slightly at her mild rebuke, but stiffened when Ryoko and Ayeka tried to protest. "You two can't behave around Tenchi, and you know it. That's why he can't take any of us." Sasami stared the two down with a look that dared them to argue with her.

Ayeka quickly cowed, realizing as she did so how much Sasami was taking after their mother. She didn't like thinking what a formidable young woman Sasami was turning into and couldn't help worrying about what things would be like soon as Sasami continued to age rapidly. Ryoko fared no better under the steady gaze of Sasami.

"Fine. We're not going, that's been decided. The question is, what do we do about it? Tenchi's been a little more open lately, and I don't think he realizes Kiyone has eyes for him, too. Now she's managed to arrange a whole day in the city with him by herself." Ryoko scowled at nothing in particular, and finally turned it on Mihoshi for lack of any place else to focus her ire.

Mihoshi squeaked, "B-but, Kiyone's not like that. I mean, I think she likes Tenchi, but she'd never try and steal him away purposely. She really does just want something to do, I think."

Ryoko teleported herself in front of Mihoshi, and put her face in front of the blonde woman's. "Oh, really? And what happens when they spend the day shopping, and eating at restaurants, and taking in the sights, and they come back holding hands and kick all of us out of the house?"

"I believe you may be exaggerating things just a bit much, Ryoko. Lord Tenchi is certainly not likely to make a decision that quickly after all." Ayeka smiled at her joke. Frowning in disappointment that her joke fell flat, she continued, "I believe we can arrange for some way for him to make it up to us. If there's one thing Lord Tenchi is, he's always fair. I for one intend to see that he grants me an equally fair portion of his time. Yes, I believe that would be just fine."

Mihoshi's eyes lit up at the thought, and she exclaimed, "Ooohhh. Some time with just Tenchi and me. We could finally go on a picnic..." Her eyes unfocused as she started considering possibilities.

Sasami nodded her agreement to Ayeka's idea, and then said her goodnights and scampered off to bed with Ryo-Ohki bouncing in her wake. Ryoko eyed the near-delirious Mihoshi, then writing her off, considered Ayeka. "Well, I suppose that's the best we can do. You have some decent ideas occasionally, don't you? I'm still not happy about this, though. Kiyone's wormed her way too close to Tenchi too fast."

"Perhaps. Until events get too extreme, though, I plan to use the situation to my advantage as much as possible. Good night, Ryoko." Ayeka left the still-fuming Ryoko, and disappeared up the stairs.

"Bah. Nothing better happen, that's all I have to say." Ryoko gave a disgusted glance at the now-sleeping Mihoshi, and then disappeared.

--

Marco stood patiently in Mr. Rudolpho's office, watching the crime lord pace back and forth. He'd reported on his activities to date, which had been mostly successful, but he knew the explosion was coming soon. Sure enough, Mr. Rudolpho finally spun to face him, his face almost crimson with anger.

"All you've done is get rid of the peons. Not only have you not killed the person responsible for getting my son arrested, you don't even know where they are. Why do I even keep you around, if that's the best you can do?" Valentino Rudolpho punctuated his statements by pointing a finger directly at Marco.

Marco waited a few moments, just long enough to make Mr. Rudolpho even angrier, then answered calmly, "Because I'm the best you've got. A couple of them were squealing like crazy, they gave me tons of information about GP activities, undercover officers, all that kind of stuff. They just don't know where she is, she disappeared to that planet. Knowing she's on the planet isn't much help. Wherever Makibi is, there's only one or two people who know about it, and I don't have access to them. You don't just march into GP headquarters and torture information out of a commanding officer. We need to find someone in the loop who can help us out. A secretary or something, somebody who might be susceptible. It's time for you to call in some favors, Mr. Rudolpho, if you want Kiyone Makibi. Those two officers are playing a game, knowing how long it'll take us to track her down. They're playing for time."

The emotions raging in Mr. Rudolpho's eyes were interesting to watch. Anger, frustration, calculation, and probably a few others flashed, and Marco knew he was the only person who could get away with talking to Mr. Rudolpho this matter-of-factly when he was so angry and still actually get through to the man.

Mr. Rudolpho asked, "Fine. Well, I'll have my sources look into it, see if they can track down somebody working for those two that we can influence. Enough. I'll let you know when we have something. Get out."

Rudolpho turned his back to Marco, and looked out of his window as he often did when he drifted into thought. Marco fought down his usual urge to stick his knife into that exposed back. That would have to wait until he had a firmer grasp on control of the organization. He slid quietly out of the office, and headed for his quarters. He punched up his current workout instructor, and ordered him to the gymnasium. Marco was planning to beat out some frustration onto the unsuspecting soul who didn't know he was standing in for Valentino Rudolpho until the proper time came.

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	9. Chapter 8: Arrival

Chapter 8: Arrival 

Grace Sakumi put the report back into the folder it had originally been filed in. Her mind was spinning at the moment, and she was uncertain what the best course of action would be. She wasn't technically supposed to know what she now knew, but she also hadn't looked at anything that wouldn't have crossed her desk at some point any way.

The entirety of the team which had supported Kiyone on her previous assignment were now all dead, and all were obviously murdered. After considering the dates on the reports, it was obvious to Grace that Sakai would have known that when Kiyone was here for her review. So either he was clueless and hadn't registered the fact, or he was hiding the information from Kiyone. While he sometimes made some unwelcome advances towards her, he had never struck her as clueless. You couldn't be and still make it to the position he had. That left the alternative, that he was hiding it from Kiyone.

Would he be hiding the information because he was somehow involved, or because he didn't want Kiyone to know? The former was frightening to think about, if she approached him to ask, she would likely end up murdered herself. If the latter, why wouldn't he want Kiyone to know so she'd be able to protect herself? More importantly, what could she do to help her friend in this situation without getting herself into serious trouble in the process? She had no way to send Kiyone a message at the moment. She didn't know how to contact Kiyone, her friend's assignment was again classified so that only her superiors could make contact. Grace could find the information, but she would then be investigating information which she definitely wouldn't have been privy to as part of her normal duties. Approaching Sakai, or even Watanabe, could be a dangerous proposition as well, putting herself at risk due to her discovery.

Resolving herself to avoiding the Section Chief and Commander for now, she decided to risk finding out where Kiyone was stationed so she could get her friend a message. If she was careful, she could do so without anyone finding out she'd looked into details she shouldn't have been in. As long as Kiyone never let anyone know how she'd gotten the information, nobody would know it had been Grace.

Unable to bring herself to do anything at the moment, she headed back for her desk, resolving to start her investigations tomorrow. She'd never done anything like this before, but Kiyone was an old friend who deserved to know someone was going to try and kill her.

--

The buzzing of his alarm clock shook Tenchi from his slumber. He groaned and whacked the device to quiet it. He blearily opened his eyes and was relieved to not find a female face anywhere in sight. His relief lasted only as long as it took him to make his way downstairs for breakfast.

Kiyone was sitting at the table, obviously doing her best to ignore the rest of the people in the room, all of whom were waiting at the foot of the stairs for Tenchi. Tenchi stifled a groan, and looked around at the various faces, catching anger, hope, remorse, and a couple others depending on whose face he looked at. He stopped a few steps from the bottom, and let out a sigh of resignation as he prepared for the worst.

"I assume this greeting is in regards to my trip to Kurashiki with Kiyone?" Tenchi let out another sigh at the confirming nods from everyone facing him. "Look, I've already told you we're not going to be doing anything that anybody would consider fun. Why won't you believe me?"

Washu answered first, "Nothing fun, huh? So tell me, what exactly were you going to do with Kiyone on the bus ride to Kurashiki, and then back again?"

Tenchi blinked, that wasn't what he'd been expecting. "Um... talking, I suppose. Probably about what kind of place Kiyone wants to use to sell stuff."

"So, you've got a couple of long bus rides where you'll be doing nothing but talking to Kiyone? When was the last time I got you alone to just sit and talk, Tenchi?" Washu had a serious look on her face, in contrast to her usual spark of mirth. The rest of the ladies were nodding as well, obviously thinking the same thing.

Tenchi's mind spun as he tried to consider the answer to the question. In fact, Tenchi couldn't remember spending much time with just himself and any of the women for any real length of time, unless you counted Ryo-Ohki out in the fields. He definitely had moments here and there where just one of the ladies was around, but they were usually very brief and infrequent.

"That's what I meant. You can't think of anything can you?" Washu shook her head, then continued, "It's a good thing I came out early this morning. You wouldn't believe what these ladies were planning, as opposed to just making you understand."

"What?" cried Ryoko, spinning to face Washu. "I thought you told us not to say..." Ryoko fell silent, glancing quickly in Tenchi's direction, then blanching as she realized Washu had tricked her into admitting something she hadn't intended to. "Grrr, Washu!"

Tenchi sensed trouble about to start, and quickly stepped in to try and avoid a more serious confrontation. "OK, I understand some things now. I'll see what I can do to make it up to everyone some other time. Right now Kiyone and I need to eat breakfast so we can get going and still get back at a decent time."

"That will be fine, Lord Tenchi. Thank you." Ayeka settled herself to eat, quickly followed by the rest.

Tenchi was surprised by the lack of protest, but silently pleased it hadn't blown up into a larger argument. That must mean they'd gotten what they wanted, any way. He hadn't promised anything other than to make it up somehow, so that meant they each probably had their own idea of what that meant. He'd have to be careful. Making his own plans instead of leaving it to the ladies would probably be prudent.

Everyone ate in relative silence, then Tenchi and Kiyone made their goodbyes to a mixture of warm and cold expressions. Sasami slipped a shopping list into Tenchi's hand before they left, and he sighed, thinking of how late it was going to be before they could get back. The two headed for the bus station, enjoying the bright and shiny day which greeted them.

They made the walk in relative silence, only a few words from Tenchi to point out where they were headed. Unable to think of anything to say, Tenchi waited patiently for the bus to arrive, Kiyone doing the same. They boarded when it arrived, and found seats near the back, knowing they had a fairly lengthy ride ahead of them. Each watched the scenery pass in silence for a while, enjoying the restful calm which was a rarity back at the house.

Eventually, Tenchi broke the silence. "So how did you come up with this idea any way? The idea has never even crossed my mind, and I've been here longer than you have."

"You weren't looking for it. I was. Yeah, I go on patrol often enough that I'm not stuck at the house that much, but I still feel like an outsider. You've all been living together so long, you've got your routines down cold. I didn't really feel like I fit in anywhere yet, so I was looking for something to do. That about sums it up."

"I guess I really never thought about it. I didn't want you to feel like you had to do anything, I wanted you to feel welcome like a guest. You don't like to stay idle very much, do you?"

Kiyone laughed as she answered, "You noticed, did you? I guess you might say I'm pretty driven. It's probably the only reason I haven't killed Mihoshi by now, she was always pretty focused on being a good officer, too. Without that, we couldn't have survived as partners. I'm still not sure we can, but what choice do I have?"

Tenchi watched as Kiyone turned away to look out the bus window again. He could see that she was struggling with some emotions right now, but wasn't sure what they were. She'd never really opened up much since getting assigned here, outside of the usual details of who her family was and where she came from. He was pretty sure Kiyone was frustrated with her assignment here, but he also suspected she didn't want to say anything for fear of upsetting him.

"Do you like it here on Earth? Aside from not having anything to do, that is." Tenchi smiled at her startled jump.

"I'm not sure, but right now, I'd honestly have to say... I don't think so. It's not that you're not nice or anything, or anybody else in the house, I suppose, but this job is a dead end for me. Mihoshi's a nice person, but I suspect she's stationed out here to avoid doing any damage in the busier parts of the galaxy. I really can't understand why they still let her patrol, they should have put her behind a desk at headquarters, and stuffed her back in a corner where she couldn't cause any harm. Since I got assigned as her partner, my career's done, nothing happens here that'll ever get me a promotion, and even if something did, Mihoshi would manage enough damage to take the promotion away again. No, I guess I don't really like it here."

She again lapsed into silence, and Tenchi considered her words for a while. He'd been right, but he wasn't sure there was much he could do for her. Only one thing came to mind, and it was something he generally tried to avoid thinking about. When nothing else came to mind, he decided to give it a try.

"Kiyone? Look, I can't really do much to help you out, I don't think. If you'd like, though, I'll ask my grandmother Airi if she can do something. I'm sure if she made a suggestion to the GP, they could probably get you reassigned somehow."

"Thanks, Tenchi, but no thanks. I don't like playing politics at work. You deal with what comes your way, that's how I like to do it."

"Well, okay. I guess we'll just do what we can to make your stay as comfortable as possible. I'm sorry Kiyone, I wish I could do something to help."

"It's not your fault, Tenchi, don't sweat it. Having something to do around here will probably help. At least life at home isn't boring. I used to have trouble keeping occupied before, when I wasn't working, but you're all an interesting bunch to have to deal with."

Kiyone turned back to the window, leaving Tenchi to once again ponder the situation. Unable to think of anything else to say, he turned to the immediate business. "So then, do you have an idea what kind of place you want to set up to sell from? I assume it doesn't need to be much, but a street stall, or an actual store?"

"Well, to tell you the truth, I'm not really sure yet, Tenchi. I hadn't actually gotten that far..."

--

Electronic screens filled the entire limit of Washu's vision as she compared data from one with another. She quickly developed some algorithms to try and track down any similarities between two sets of data which caught her immediate interest, and satisfied, started the routine to churn through the enormity of what she'd given it to work with. There had to be a reason for Tenchi's powers, she'd find it eventually if it took her another 20,000 years.

She had just turned her attention to another set of screens where she'd finalized her construction plans for Nobuyuki's little guest house when the alarms started blaring. Jumping to her feet, Washu cleared all the screens but one out of her way and focused her attention on the alert warning residing there. She noted that some kind of spaceship had entered the immediate vicinity, or was it two? She set to work determining who it might be in hopes of not having to run screaming to find Tenchi, in a metaphorical sense any way.

Washu punched a series of buttons, and the screen quickly shifted to show a view of two people standing outside the house looking at the front door. Washu zoomed in on them, and felt a small pit form in her stomach when she recognized whom she was looking at. "Oh, not them! I hope they didn't bring any suitors, I don't know if I could stand to keep having the house destroyed like that again. I suppose I should go greet them..."

--

Queen Misaki of Jurai pointed to a small blemish on the side of the house she and Queen Funaho were facing and said, "Looks like the house has been patched a few more times since we were here last. What do you think? Mihoshi, or Ryoko and Ayeka?"

Funaho smiled and answered, "That definitely looks like Ryoko's work to me. Mihoshi usually manages much more damage, if I recall."

"Yes, yes, you're right. Well, shall we go and knock?"

"You go ahead. I want to go see Yosho, of course."

"Of course. Give him a hug for me."

"Yes, I'll do that."

Funaho turned to start walking down the path towards the hill where her son's shrine resided when the door was opened and Washu stepped out. She paused, then returned to Misaki's side to face the small scientist, offering a small bow of recognition while Misaki squirmed beside her. A smile touched her lips as she saw Washu tensing herself for the inevitable.

"Oh, Washu!" Misaki cried, throwing herself forward to wrap Washu in a bear hug. She squeezed momentarily, then relaxed as a frown found its way to her face. "What..." She momentarily squeezed her arms again, amazed as they never reached Washu's body.

Washu cackled a laugh before answering, "Sorry about that. I didn't feel up to the full treatment right now. Why don't we head inside, and you can lay one of those on your daughters instead of my little force screen." Washu waved a small device, and a shimmer in the air disappeared as she threw the switch to shut the device off.

Misaki's frown only deepened at the explanation, and her foot started tapping as her hands found her hips. She looked at Washu sternly without blinking, and waited for the necessary reaction.

Washu backed a step in consternation, and considered making a break for the door to her lab. She was saved the humiliation by a squeal of delight from behind her.

"Mommy!"

A blur of blue hair flew by Washu, knocking her sideways, though she managed to catch her balance. She gathered herself and turned back to regard what she knew had to be Sasami embracing her mother and burst into laughter. Misaki was standing, arms trapped at her sides and her face turning red, as her daughter did her best to her squeeze her own mother to death. Washu couldn't contain herself and collapsed to the ground rolling in hysterics when Misaki barely managed to squeak a "let go."

Funaho laughed quietly at the reunion scene, and waited for what she considered an appropriate amount of time before moving to separate the two. Seeing Misaki starting to go limp, she tapped Sasami on the shoulder and said, "Perhaps you would greet your Aunt as well?"

Sasami looked up at Funaho, her eyes widening in recognition. She released her grip on her mother, who promptly collapsed to the ground next to Washu. Sasami was headed off from embracing Funaho in a similar bear hug by Funaho wrapping her in one. She laughed, realizing what Funaho had done, and quickly broke free to check on her mother.

"Mother? Are you all right? I'm sorry, I was just so happy to see you." Sasami helped Misaki back to her feet, and giggled as she straightened her robes and dusted them off while offering Sasami what was obviously a feigned stern look.

"I'm fine now. You should warn a person before doing that, though." Misaki jumped as Washu snorted from the ground below. She turned her scowl on the scientist who was still laughing with her arms wrapped around her stomach. "You have something to say, Washu?"

Washu heaved a few deep breaths, interspersed with chuckles, and finally brought herself up to a sitting position. The pain from continuous laughing was evident on her face as she calmed down. One last deep breath, and she answered, "No, no, of course not. Nothing to say that shouldn't be rather evident already, that is. Well, I suppose we should go in, I imagine Ayeka will be happy to see the two of you. I'm sure Ryoko's hiding by now, and Mihoshi's on patrol."

"Perhaps we should. I think it would be wise to have Ayeka present while we discuss how it is that a thirteen year old girl looks like Sasami now does." Funaho looked meaningfully at Sasami, and heard the young girl catch her breath.

Washu's face quickly sobered and she stood up. A look told her that she was in for an interrogation from the two queens, both of whom now had extremely serious faces. Sasami was fidgeting under their gaze, and inching backwards towards the door. Washu reached out to pat the younger girl on the arm in an attempt to calm her down a bit. She faced the two queens with a nod, and stepped aside to let them enter the house. Sasami followed suit, and the two house members followed them inside silently.

--

Tenchi signed the last of the forms and pushed it back across the desk to the man facing Kiyone and him. Standing, Tenchi said, "Thank you, sir, we appreciate this. Hopefully it will be a successful long-term venture for both of us."

Everyone rose to their feet, and Tenchi and Kiyone offered small bows, returned by the property manager. Tenchi turned to leave with Kiyone, and they blinked as they stepped outside into the bright sun. He glanced at Kiyone, and smiled at the look of anticipation evident on her face. He laughed, "You're ready to start right now, aren't you?"

Kiyone laughed as well, managing to look a little sheepish as well. "Yeah, I suppose I am. It's kind of funny I suppose, it's not like I'll be here that often, I still have to patrol with Mihoshi. I think getting out of the house when I'm not on patrol will be best for everyone in the long run, though. Things are a little crazy around there, and I suspect it's only gotten worse with me around."

"It doesn't seem much different to me. Chaos before, chaos now. Not much has changed when you really break it down."

"I suppose."

"Well, I guess now that we've got your stall picked out, we should go do Sasami's shopping so we can go home again. We can still make supper, hopefully. It's always better fresh-made than reheated." Tenchi started walking in the direction he thought the grocery store would probably be.

"You're not kidding. She should open a restaurant, not just have me selling some pastries in a shop once a week."

Tenchi smiled at the thought, knowing what Sasami's reaction would be at the notion. Doing his best to imitate Sasami's voice, Tenchi said, "But who would cook for the family, then?"

Kiyone snorted, then covered her mouth in embarrassment. "Don't ever do that again, Tenchi. I'll tell Sasami you're doing terrible imitations of her when she's not around."

Tenchi took his turn being embarrassed, and pledged to "never do it again." They walked a few more blocks before arriving at the market Tenchi had been looking for, and headed inside as Tenchi pulled the list Sasami had given him out of his pocket.

Tenchi started heading for the fish stall and handed the note to Kiyone. "Might as well start at the top, Kiyone. Knowing Sasami, they'll be arranged in the best way possible any way, so we don't have to move far to find the next thing. What's first?"

Tenchi took a step or two before Kiyone's arm pulled him to a stop. He glanced back at her, and stiffened at the look of concentration on her face. He turned to follow her gaze, but Kiyone pulled him aside to start walking towards a vegetable stand.

Kiyone whispered, "Don't stare, Tenchi. I think there's a robbery taking place, so try and act casual. We don't want to draw attention." They walked a little farther down the aisle, and Kiyone felt Tenchi tense when a man in a long coat walked past. Tenchi just looked at the shelves, and Kiyone relaxed slightly when the man moved on.

"Okay, Tenchi, I think there's three of them. One across the street, one on the side, and one right by the guy selling chickens. I've seen you practicing with your grandfather, think you can take the one across the street without making too much noise?"

Tenchi glanced at Kiyone, curiosity tinged with concern evident in his eyes. "Probably, assuming he's no martial arts master. That leaves three of them, though, and someone's sure to have a gun."

"You let me worry about that, Tenchi." Kiyone slipped her arm up beneath the back of her short jacket, and Tenchi's eyes widened when he saw her pulling out her GP blaster. "Sorry, Tenchi, I never go anywhere without it. You never know when you'll run into a situation like this." She placed it in the pocket of her jacket for the moment while she considered the situation.

"You can't use that thing here, Kiyone. We don't have guns like that on earth."

"I'll turn it down to it's lowest setting, Tenchi. It won't do more than stun anyone. Nobody will know what it really is, trust me."

Tenchi paused in thought for a moment, then answered, "Okay, maybe. There are still two of them you need to worry about."

"It's okay, Tenchi. If I can take out the one by the seller, everything will be fine. As long as he gets on the floor after I stun that one, I'll be able to deal with the other guy. I'll be fine."

Tenchi frowned, but then nodded, knowing he wasn't going to talk Kiyone out of anything. She was a police officer, she knew what she was doing. Glancing in the direction of the man he was going to deal with, he said in a louder voice, "I'll go get the milk, Dear. I'll be right back."

Kiyone nearly jumped out of her skin when he addressed her as "Dear," then nodded and said, "Okay." She turned to pull a couple things off the vegetable shelf as if deciding which to buy. She put them back, then started making her way towards the counter where the seller was clearly doing his best not to draw any attention to himself while a man with his hand in his pocket stood facing him. She put her hand in her own pocket, and slowly slipped her gun down to her side as she approached, hoping nobody would notice. Counting off the last few seconds she expected Tenchi to need in her mind, she took a few more steps towards the counter.

Kiyone raised her gun, aimed it at the apparent robber, and pulled the trigger, all in a fraction of a second. A small charge of energy left the gun, and crashed into the man, dropping him to the floor where a gun spilled out of his pocket. Kiyone yelled "Get down" at the grocer, then turned to face where the other criminal should be coming from due to the noise she had made. She saw him coming, and she flinched as she saw the explosion that indicated he'd just shot his weapon which was aimed at her.

Kiyone's vision blurred momentarily, and then came back into focus, only now she was not viewing the scene at the same angle as before. Not taking time to consider things, she brought her pistol to aim on the thug who now had a strange look on his face, and fired, hitting him squarely in the chest so he too dropped to the ground. She glanced around herself quickly, looking for any other assailants, and it was only then she realized she was being held in Tenchi's arms. His eyes looked a little wild, but they were scanning the street just like she had been. She shook her head, and struggled out of his grasp to stand on the ground again.

"What... what the heck did you just do?" Kiyone jumped as Tenchi shook his head and started pulling her away. Only then did she notice the screaming from the other patrons of the street market.

He called back over his shoulder, "Call the police," and then proceeded to hustle Kiyone down the street. "Put your gun away," he whispered and started dragging her by her hand.

Realizing what he was doing, Kiyone matched his stride so that he wasn't dragging her, and kept silent as he turned a few times down different streets. She remained silent until Tenchi finally came to a halt near a bus stop just before the bus arrived, and she followed him onto the bus with a smile.

Tenchi headed for seats at the back of the bus where nobody was currently seated, and sat down silently to look out the window. Kiyone sat down next to him, and waited while he scanned the crowd, doing the same herself. Once the bus pulled away, she felt him relax, and she couldn't stop herself from giggling quietly.

Kiyone said, "Well, that was fun, wasn't it? I've missed that feeling, things are a little dull around her most of the time. It's good to finally do what I'm meant to do."

Tenchi frowned in response, and didn't answer right away. He didn't want to say anything until he got a few things settled in his head. It appeared they'd gotten away without anyone following them away. They couldn't afford any attention, even being in the city so far from where they lived.

"Tenchi? Is something wrong?"

Tenchi sighed and leaned back in his seat. "No, Kiyone, I don't think so. I just wanted to be sure we weren't attracting any more attention. I know that kind of thing is routine for you, but I really just want to keep a quiet life, so sticking around to face the aftermath is out of the question."

"Yeah, I kinda figured as much. I'm sorry, I guess I didn't really think about that before I got us involved. My instincts were just to deal with the situation, I should've given a little thought to your situation first. I'll try not to again, Tenchi."

"Well, it turned out all right. It's okay, I don't want you to be someone you're not, Kiyone. But keeping a low profile would be a good idea, considering the fact that we're basically a bunch of galactic aliens hiding out here on earth."

"Yeah, I suppose so. Thanks, Tenchi."

"Thanks for what?"

"Thanks for making me realize I do like it here on earth."

"Huh? I thought you hated being posted here."

Kiyone did her best to keep the blush off of her face as she answered, "Oh, maybe it's not as bad as I thought it was. Well, are we going to head home, or do we find another store to pick up Sasami's groceries?"

"Oh, man, I forgot all about that. I'm sure she'd understand, but if we've got time, we might as well get them. Thanks for reminding me."

"No problem. Keeping a clear head in these situations is important to a GP officer after all."

"Yeah, I suppose it would be." Tenchi turned his head back to look out the window. "Hmmm, I think we need to get off soon, and catch a different bus. Might as well get ready."

"Whatever you say, Dear." Kiyone laughed loudly as Tenchi nearly jumped out of the seat, then turned to chuckle along with her.

--

Washu breathed a sigh of relief that the interrogation was over. It hadn't gone well at first due to her inability to answer the queens' questions with much definitiveness. She resolved to see what she could do to try and better understand what might be happening to Sasami.

She glanced around the room, and decided a mood-breaker was in order considering all the long faces arrayed before her. "So, I guess I need to get Tenchi's bachelor..., er, Nobuyuki's guest house set up quicker than I thought. The two of you are staying for a while this time, I assume? We'll need the space assuming you are."

Misaki answered, "Yes, we planned to visit long enough to make sure the children were getting along properly. They've been without their mothers for a bit too long, perhaps."

Sasami and Ayeka blanched, then did their best to hide the reaction. Washu chuckled to herself, and decided to help as best she could. "Poor Yosho. I imagine he's in for a bit of a shock, then." Everyone smiled, realizing what Washu had been implying with the comment.

Funaho's eyes twinkled as she answered, "Yes, my son perhaps more than anyone has a bit to explain for. Our last visit was too short, and he's stubbornly refusing to correspond to the extent he should. I'm sure the two of you have been consulting your mother appropriately, in comparison?"

The two princesses again stifled the sour looks on their faces before nodding. Misaki raised an eyebrow in their direction, but didn't comment further.

"Well, if you'll excuse me, then," said Washu, "I've got a few things to set up and then we can get that little house built, quick as you please. Won't Tenchi be surprised when he gets back, an extra house by the lake, and a couple more pretty ladies living in his house?" Washu turned to disappear into her lab, laughing her strange laugh until she disappeared.

"What's this? An extra house for Tenchi? He's not moving out, is he? You girls haven't been making his life difficult, have you?" This time, Misaki's raised eyebrow caused her daughters to squirm uncomfortably.

Ayeka cautiously answered, "No mother, it's nothing like that. It's for Nobuyuki and Rea, when they come to visit. The house is pretty full already, so whenever they come out, we have to rearrange so that everyone has someplace to sleep. This way, nothing has to happen when they visit."

"I see. Well, that's good then. I'd hate to think my own family was imposing their presence in such a way as to inconvenience their host." Misaki left her gaze on her daughters until they had both squirmed in embarrassment appropriately.

"Ah, he'd never admit he likes all the attention."

Only Funaho avoided starting in her seat as Washu spoke from the doorway of her lab, devices of unknown purpose carried in her arms. Everyone settled down again as Washu headed past them to the front door of the house, then rose to follow her as she stepped outside. They wandered down the shoreline until Washu stopped, looking around at the ground in consideration.

"So, you all want to watch me do my thing, huh? It's more fun showing off when there's a crowd, any way. Prepare to be astounded." Washu set a couple of devices down on the ground, then pushed a few buttons on the one left in her hand. "Ah, you might want to stand back a little bit there. Better." Washu hustled the three observers back just far enough to avoid the deluge of lumber, nails, and other building materials which suddenly started appearing in stacks where they had previously been standing.

Washu set up some of her other devices, which seemed to be pointed towards each other from a fair distance apart, though nobody but the scientist actually knew what they were for. After a while carefully arranging them, Washu came back to stand next to the Juraian royals with a smile on her face. "All set? Show time!"

Washu pushed a button on her small handhold device, and suddenly the devices she'd place on the ground began swinging around in movement's almost too fast to follow. Washu chuckled as everyone else took another step back as the building materials started moving on their own. A foundation was quickly laid, and then the lumber starting forming a frame, all while everyone watched in amazement as it happened as if by magic.

"So, pretty neat, huh? I constantly amaze even myself. I could revolutionize construction with these." Washu smiled as she watched her creations continue putting the house together. "Of course, the entire Construction Research Academy would be wiped out in the process. I don't think some of my old colleagues would forgive me for that."

"Yes, it is very impressive. How does it work, I can't see anything to indicate physical contact with any of the materials." Funaho had a small frown of concentration on her face as she watched the process.

"Oh, no, that's my secret." Washu shook her head at Funaho. "Some people I might tell that to, but you're a little too diligent an intelligence officer. I suspect I'd suddenly see my devices at work on Planet Jurai without my consent if I told you how it worked."

Funaho smiled and nodded her head, saying a quiet, "Perhaps."

"That's really amazing, Miss Washu. You're so smart sometimes." Sasami was watching the whole process, wonder evident on her face. "I'm sure Tenchi will be pleased when he gets back."

"He'd better be. It's not just anyone who can build a house in a few hours without any labor, you know. Well, it'll probably start getting dull now, you can only watch stuff flying around for so long before it gets old. Should we head back inside?" Washu turned and headed for the main house, not waiting for an answer.

"Well, my visit to Yosho is overdue. I'll be there for a while, and leave you to catch up with your daughters, Misaki. I should be back by dinnertime." Funaho smiled and then turned to the two princesses still watching the construction with some fascination. "Goodbye, girls, we'll see each other more tonight."

"Yes, Aunt Funaho. That will be nice." Ayeka stepped forward and embraced Funaho briefly, then stepped aside so Sasami could do the same.

Misaki waited for Funaho to head off before herding her daughters back towards the house. "Well, now that all the small stuff is out of the way, why don't the two of you fill me in on everything that's been happening here since I left. Start with why Tenchi is still single..."

--

"This is Fujikara Kawami..."

"...And this is Saito Hanamitsu..."

"...Bringing you tonight's news. Our top story today is an attempted robbery broken up at the street market in downtown Kurashiki. Three gunmen held up the Honshou chicken stall around 3:00 this afternoon, attempting to steal the cash from the register, along with any other valuables the grocer may have had. According to testimony filed in police reports, two people who as of yet are not being identified as undercover officers, came into the store during the robbery. They apparently recognized the situation and managed to overcome all three of the criminals using a mixture of hand-to-hand combat and some form of stun gun. The two unidentified persons, described as a tall, pretty woman with teal-colored hair, and a teenage young man of average size with brown hair, did not remain at the scene to be questioned. The clerk's statements indicated that the man used some form of martial arts to knock out one criminal while the lady used an unusual stun gun on the assailant at the register simultaneously. They then teamed up to stun the final assailant."

"According to Inspector Shirai of the Kurashiki Police Department, the two rescuers cannot be confirmed as working for any known law enforcement organizations. 'Right now we do not have enough information to work with,' said the Inspector. 'What we have are the grocer's descriptions of the two rescuers, and his statements that the man referred to the woman as Dear at one point. Other witnesses saw the two leaving hand-in-hand, which leads us to believe they might be a husband-and-wife team of some sort, but beyond that we do not have any information at this time as to the identity of the two.' Further questions were unable to get any information as to the nature of the stun gun used by the woman, which apparently did not appear to use electric wires as traditional models currently do. 'We can't comment on something we don't know about,' was the only response from the Inspector."

"In other news..."

Tenchi and Kiyone avoided looking at anyone as they attempted to sink into the couch under the steady gaze of almost everyone else in the room. Sweat broke out on their brows as they waited for the inevitable...

"Wow, that's amazing! It's too bad they're from earth, they sound like people who would be great for the Galaxy Police, except they can't go into space since they're not supposed to know about anything out there. We have stun guns that don't use wires already, of course..." Mihoshi was still watching the news report intently, failing to recognize the looks of astonishment her statements prompted.

Turning back to face Tenchi and Kiyone, Washu said, "Ignoring Mihoshi for the moment, is there anything the two of you would like to tell everyone?"

Tenchi did his best to become invisible, but failing, he took a deep breath to answer. "Well, you've kind of got the gist of it already. There really wasn't much more than what you just heard, Kiyone managed to stun two of them, I just got the one with a sucker punch."

"Not that, you moron! Nobody cares that you beat up a few punks. How could you possibly call her Dear?" Ryoko fumed, pointing at Kiyone as her eyes bored into Tenchi's.

Tenchi gulped as his face turned green. He willed himself to disappear, but as before, nothing happened. He opened his mouth, but was interrupted by Kiyone.

"He was just acting the part, so to speak. We were trying to act natural so they wouldn't suspect anything when we separated to move into position. It doesn't mean anything, of course." Kiyone hoped her cheeks weren't as red as they felt at the moment. "He showed some definite natural instinct for undercover work, I think he'd make a pretty good police officer if he wanted to be one."

"So why did you leave hand-in-hand then?" asked Ayeka.

"Er... I didn't realize at first how important it was to not bring attention to ourselves. Fortunately, Tenchi was thinking, and pulled me out of there. I thought I was going to fall and get dragged on my face a few times."

"So that was you, Kiyone? And you, Tenchi? Wow, that must have been pretty exciting. Oh, I wish I could have been there to help out." Mihoshi's eyes were almost bursting with excitement as she looked at Kiyone.

"I don't know... It all sounds a little suspicious to me. Tenchi doesn't call anyone dear, and we all know he's had plenty of time to. I'm gonna be watching you, cop-girl. Keep your hands off of Tenchi." Ryoko disappeared leaving a sputtering and flabbergasted Kiyone looking at emptiness.

"She was telling the truth, everyone. We just kind of stumbled into something that required some quick thinking. That's all."

"I certainly hope so. I think I'll retire now, I have some sewing to complete so that SHE has something to sell, soon." Ayeka walked gracefully from the living room and up the stairs to disappear as well.

"Those two...," Kiyone growled.

"Ignore the children, Kiyone," said Washu. "Well, sounds like you two had an interesting day in the end. Not quite as boring as you thought it would be, after all."

"Yeah, that's really neat, Kiyone. You saved that store from being robbed." Sasami walked over to give Kiyone a hug, then blushed a bit as she looked at Tenchi and returned to her seat.

"Miya! Meow, miya, meow!" Ryo-ohki bounced up and down, waving her hands in the air.

"Yes, Ryo-Ohki, I'm sure you would have been a great help if you'd been there." Washu smiled as she patted the cabbit-girl on the head.

"This has all been very exciting of course. Perhaps now would be a good time to move some things into our room. We'll be staying in the new guest house Washu built today, I assume?" Funaho stood, followed by Misaki as they moved towards the front door.

"No, no, I'm sure you'd rather stay close to Ayeka and Sasami. We don't really know how stable that house is yet, either, I'd hate to see either of you get hurt. I'll move into the other house, you can have my room, I'm sure we can get another bed in there. I hope Dad wasn't planning to come visit any time soon. I'll go start packing up some things to get them out of there." Tenchi headed up the stairs, oblivious of the scowl on Washu's face.

"Stable? How stable it is? I'm insulted. I'll show him stable, all right. Let's see, how do I go about creating a hurricane here without access to the usual assortment of weather-controlling satellites..." Washu started for her lab, pausing as she was restrained by Sasami.

"Err... Miss Washu, I don't think Tenchi meant anything by that. He's just trying to be polite to Mother and Aunt Funaho, that's all." Sasami held onto Washu by the arm until she saw some of the anger fade from the scientist's face. "I really think he just wants to stay there himself, to make sure it seems suited to guests, before he lets anyone else."

"Hmmm... maybe you're right, Sasami. He's got to pay for that remark regardless of what he meant by it, though. Fine, I'll skip the hurricane for now. He'll make up for it later..." Washu turned again as Sasami dropped her arm, and headed into her lab.

"Can we help you bring your things down, mother?" Sasami pulled Ryo-Ohki over in front of her as she asked the question. "I assume it's all still on Karin, or Mizuho?"

"Yes, that would be nice, thank you Sasami, Ryo-Ohki. Shall we go, then?" Misaki led the small party outside. They disappeared for a few minutes, and reappeared loaded down with bundles retrieved from the queens' respective ships. "You're sure this is okay? We really can stay in the guest house. I'm sure Washu wouldn't make any mistakes that would be dangerous."

"No, mother. Once Tenchi's decided something, it's best to let him do it." Sasami giggled a bit thinking about Tenchi. "He gets all worried that some of us might somehow be uncomfortable. He takes his 'being the host' thing very seriously."

"Well... okay, then. I guess if it's what Tenchi wants, that's what we'll do. Right, Funaho?"

"Of course," answered Funaho.

"Miya?" asked Ryo-Ohki, indicating the open doorway to the house.

"Yes, Ryo-Ohki, we should probably go in now. Be careful, that bag is very heavy."

Ryo-Ohki trudged up the step to the house, stumbling twice, but refusing to drop the bag she was carrying. "Miya. Miya. Miya. Miya." The little marching song being chanted by Ryo-Ohki brought a smile to everyone's face as they disappeared into the house, closing the door behind them.

--

Neon lights flashed from signs and tables and even the chairs inside the 'Lucky Eights Casino.' It was a shabby place, most of the gaming tables were showing their age and lack of care, but that didn't stop the constant buzz of excitement which emanated from the gamblers within. The 'Lucky Eights Casino' had the shabby clientele to go with its shabby veneer, and when it was all said and done, everyone liked the current setup, both the casino's owners and the gamblers who frequented it.

Eishi Sakumi threw down his cards in disgust after losing another hand. He watched as the dealer raked in the last of his chips and then reached for his wallet out of instinct. He didn't bother to pull it out, knowing full well there was nothing inside. He stood up and turned to leave, ignoring the slight wobble which always accompanied his exits from the casino after a long night of drinking and playing cards.

He passed the last of the tables and was only a few steps from the exit when a large man stepped over to him from his left. He blearily turned his head to face whomever it was, and flinched from the cold face which looked back at him.

"Eishi Sakumi? Could I have a word with you?"

"That's me. Whaddya want? My money's all back at the tables, and I ain't asking for any more tonight."

Marco Manetti smiled coldly and guided the drunken gambler away from the main exit and to an office along the side. He closed the door behind them and then directed Eishi Sakumi to a small chair facing the large metal desk which dominated the room. Once Sakumi was seated, Marco walked around and seated himself behind the desk.

"I've got some good news, and some bad news. The good news is you don't owe the casino any money any more." Marco laughed as Eishi's face screwed up in confusion. "The bad news, Mr. Sakumi, is that you owe me the money now."

"How's that?" asked Eishi. "You bought up my markers? What for? I'm good for them, I've always paid off the casino, I'm sure they told you that. I've got me a good side-job when I need it, I always get the money."

"Well, you see, I'm not willing to wait for you to pay back the money like the casino is. No, Mr. Sakumi, I expect you to pay me back right now."

"What? You can't do that! That's not how loans work, you always have time to pay it back." Sakumi was sweating now, realizing he was dealing with someone who had an agenda which didn't leave any room for negotiation. "What do you want, then? I don't have anything, I got rid of my house a long time ago."

"No, Mr. Sakumi, you don't actually have anything I want specifically. What you do have is a daughter I need to speak with, however, and an invitation from me isn't likely to get me very far."

"Grace?" Sakumi's sweat turned cold on his brow. He'd never worried about getting his son Courage into trouble, but Grace was another story. He worried about her, she was trying to live a straight life. "What do you want with her?"

"She's the person most likely to have the information I need. There's a GP officer I'm having trouble finding, and she should know where I can find them. All you have to do is get your daughter to meet me. All she has to do is tell me how to find them, and your debt is taken care of and I'm out of your life. See? Simple, nobody gets hurt, nobody loses their money. Well, except me, but the information is worth the money I'm losing from you."

Sakumi squinted his eyes, trying to read the truthfulness of the man facing him. If the man was telling the truth, Sakumi would have his debt erased, and he'd be in good shape financially for quite some time to come. If he was lying, then Sakumi would be getting his daughter involved in something which might get her in trouble, or even worse, hurt or killed.

"Look, just leave my daughter out of this. I'll get you your money, just give me a few days. My daughter doesn't need to be part of this, I don't want my problems to be her problems, she's a good girl."

"Sorry, Mr. Sakumi. I can't do that." Marco leaned back and raised his hands to the back of his head, bulging the arms of his suit noticeably. "That's how it's gotta be, you don't get any say in the matter. Come on, just ask her nicely and this will all go smoothly. We don't want it to get not-smooth, do we?"

Sakumi straightened in his chair and looked as calmly across the desk as he could. He could recognize the menace in the man's voice, and knew he was going to end up talking to Grace eventually, regardless of the outcome here. He decided his daughter's best chance was to cooperate now, and hope the man kept his word about his daughter not getting hurt.

"All right. I'll see if I can get her to come and visit, but I can't promise anything. We're not exactly on the best of terms right now. Just don't hurt her."

"That's what I like to hear. As long as everyone acts nice and does what they're supposed to, I promise not to hurt her. Just make sure I get a chance to talk to her."

Marco stood up and handed a small note to Sakumi. "There's the information you'll need to reach me when you have the meeting set up. Let me know so I can be there. Then it'll all be over. See ya, Sakumi. Don't disappoint me."

Eishi watched as the large man disappeared through the office door. He didn't trust himself to stand up for the moment, so he studied the piece of paper momentarily before tucking it away in a pocket. He took a few deep breaths, and stood to leave as well. Now all he had to do was figure out how to get in contact with his daughter. He hadn't spoken to her in over a year, and wasn't sure he even knew how to call her any more.

He wobbled out of the casino, now due to the weakness in his knees instead of any intoxication. He almost hailed a cab before remembering he had no money at the moment, and wearily turned to begin the walk down to the small apartment he now lived in.

'I'm sorry, Grace. I wish I'd been a better father...'

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	10. Chapter 9: Lessons

Chapter 9: Lessons 

Grace Sakumi, Administrative Secretary for the Galaxy Police, sat and eyed the empty bottle of wine on the table in front of her. She hadn't had a drink in years. Watching her father's bad habits systematically destroying his life had been all the motivation she had needed to break herself from her partying habits of her school days. But then, her father was the reason she'd decided she needed to drink last night.

Her father had given her a call a few days ago in a frightful panic. As usual, he'd managed to get into some trouble, only this time it was more than he could manage to handle. He'd racked up such an extraordinary gambling debt, that there was no way he'd ever be able to pay it back, and the people he owed money to knew it. But they'd sold his debts to someone even worse.

Grace had come face to face with the likely source of Kiyone's dead team members. Marco Manetti. The Galaxy Police had a file on him of course, which she'd seen during the course of her duties. She'd sneaked it out last night and it lay on the coffee table next to the empty wine bottle. The file had been pretty sparse, he seemed to be able to avoid most of the routine surveillance which was captured on typical enforcers and thugs. They had some poor photos and some profiles which had been put together based on the rare testimony they'd managed to coax out of any witnesses. According to the handwritten notes in the file, many of those witnesses had been killed after giving that testimony.

She'd gone to meet with her father like he'd requested. Then Marco had appeared out of the blue and forced her into the apartment. She hadn't immediately been scared. She'd taken plenty of self defense courses as part of her normal life at the Galaxy Police, and she'd put her training to use numerous times. She admitted that her looks and her provocative style of dress often encouraged the wrong type to attempt things with her. She'd probably beaten up a dozen would-be admirers in her time, but when she'd attempted to fight off Marco, she'd been toyed with as if she was a small child. He could have killed her easily, she knew, but that wasn't why he had been there.

He'd made her the proverbial 'offer you can't refuse'. In exchange for erasing her father's debts all he wanted was the current location of a Galaxy Police officer. She'd been so frightened at the time, that she'd given it to him without even thinking, but she regretted her cowardice now. She knew what was likely to happen to Kiyone Makibi and anyone around her. She'd read all about it in the file. Some of the people Marco had apparently gotten to had been pretty well protected, heads of rival families and the like, but it hadn't saved them. Kiyone was a top notch officer from all reports, but she probably wasn't a match for Marco.

She'd thought about reporting the incident, but she suspected that it would only get her in trouble, and never even reach detective Makibi to help her out. She didn't trust Section Chief Sakai or Commander Watanabe one bit.

She was contemplating a course of action now which could easily get her and her father killed, and possibly her mother and sisters as well. Her poor mother. She'd been through so much in her life already, she didn't deserve to get dragged into this kind of trouble. Grace picked up the envelope which contained tickets for her mother and two sisters to travel to the Barbalion resort world and plenty of money. Grace had been saving up her money ever since she started working, in hopes of some day being able to buy a home somewhere. But it was more important to try and protect her family now. She folded up the note she'd written warning her mother that she should take her sisters and get away for as long as possible, and put it in the envelope. She'd send it now, it should get to her family in plenty of time.

She decided to take a shower to try and relax while she waited. She pulled the overlarge sweater off, leaving herself in only her underwear. She viewed herself in the mirror of the bathroom, noting as always her near flawless figure. But now, there was going to be at least one flaw. The words flashed through her mind again, 'It'd be a shame to mess up that pretty face.' She pulled the large gauze pad off of the slash Marco had sliced on her left side, just below her rib cage. He'd added, 'Here's a little reminder of what will happen to your sisters if your information turns out to be wrong.' She knew it was going to leave an ugly scar for many years. She would regret not going to the beach for her vacations any more, if she managed to survive, but she didn't think she could bear to have anyone noticing it and asking questions. She supposed she could find a swimsuit to cover it, but she liked the beach for getting as much sun as possible so she always wore the skimpiest bikinis she could find. That wouldn't work now; she couldn't afford to get the scar fixed and still have enough to protect her family.

As the water from the shower started running down her body, she closed her eyes and tried to encourage herself. This was something she had to do, she couldn't live with herself otherwise.

--

King Azusa looked at the four men arrayed before him. The two older men stood with the dignity men in their position should, showing the proper respect to their King. The two younger men didn't look like the nobility they were, and apparently hadn't gotten their manners beaten into them by their fathers yet. They both ignored Azusa and glanced idly around the room. He was willing to overlook their rudeness for now, since they were going to be serving as part of his plan.

He addressed the two elder gentlemen first. "The royal sword masters assure me that your sons are the best currently in training. Are they willing?"

Baron Rugoya was the first to answer. The Baron was a short, pudgy man, obviously comfortable in his King's presence, even though some men never were. He had short dark hair, with no gray showing yet, but it was receding a bit from his forehead. "My son, Hatori, is ready to serve as you command. We wish to know, however, if he will be made King, or just stand at her side?" The Baron was very bold to ask such a question. Perhaps Azusa would have to do something to remind him of his place eventually. But for now, he served a purpose.

Hatori Rugoya looked little like his father. He took after his mother, and thus was considerably taller and thinner. His orange hair was long and held back in a flowing tail with a black ribbon. He had a goatee, as well, which looked unusual in that color, but he apparently didn't realize that. He had a reputation for being incredibly arrogant and cruel, but he was the best according to the sword masters. That wasn't uncommon in an only son of an ancient noble house like his. His personality didn't matter that much to Azusa, any way. His skill with the sword did.

"We can discuss that when the time comes. It's not important right now. It won't be unless he succeeds. Waruhan?" Azusa turned to regard the other elder nobleman. Unlike his counterpart, Earl Waruhan was only a minor noble, and it showed in his nervousness. He was rarely at court, and rarely talked to the King when he was. He was taller than Rugoya, and slimmer. His gray hair was nearly gone already, which gave him a somewhat monastic look, especially as he kept holding his hands together in front of himself in an obvious sign of his nerves.

"My son, Sanji, is also ready to serve, your majesty. He isn't interested in what happens afterwards, whether he becomes a prince or just remains an earl's son. He just wants the chance to prove himself, I believe."

Sanji Waruhan did take after his father, but he still had his hair. Well some of it, at any rate. His green hair was arranged in a row of spikes from his forehead to the top of his neck, with everything around the spikes being completely shaved. He had his father's tall, lean, frame, but on him it didn't look quite as gaunt. Sanji was apparently one of those young nobles who felt that the world was being unfair to them. As the youngest of three sons, he was unlikely to ever achieve much status, and had chosen to make his father suffer to match his own 'suffering'.

"Good, good. Make yourselves ready to leave by next week, then."

At the bows from the two nobles, and a head nod that was apparently meant to pass for the same from the two sons, Azusa dismissed them. He'd deal with the attitudes later. For now, he let them act as they wanted, until they had completed his plans.

Azusa chuckled to himself. His family was due for a rude awakening. His wives were scheming, his daughters were defying him, and his son was hiding on that backwater. And of course his great-grandson Tenchi had managed to avoid his fate multiple times already. Azusa hated to let others get their way too often. He was the King after all.

--

Mihoshi watched with interest as Princess Ayeka once again got knocked to the ground by Queen Funaho. Meanwhile Princess Sasami was barely managing to defend herself as Queen Misaki rained blows at her. Tenchi was sparring with Yosho with wooden swords as usual, though with the advent of the ladies in the house doing some hand-to-hand training, they had broken from their usual course and sparred without the practice swords on occasion. Ryoko and Washu sat off on the side, Washu busily typing at her keypad and terminal, while Ryoko chuckled at Ayeka's misfortunes. Ryo-Ohki was resting on Ryoko's head, as everyone else was currently busy. So far, Ryoko and Washu were the only two who had not taken part in any practice sessions, well, except for Nobuyuki, but he visited rarely, and when he did, he usually spent his time encouraging Tenchi to pursue some of the women currently living in his house. The arrival of the Queens had only prompted Nobuyuki to prod his son even more in the romance department, joking that he could now 'get in good' with the mother of a couple of them.

"Come on Mihoshi, rest time is over." Mihoshi sighed as Kiyone called her back out to continue their own training. She actually enjoyed training, but she liked just sitting and watching everyone else, too. It made her feel so comfortable, it was like watching her own family all out doing things together. She wandered back over to where Kiyone had been laying out practice targets in something of an obstacle course.

That was one thing that worked out well living with Tenchi and his family. They were out in the near-wilderness by the shrine, and they could actually set up a practice course like this. They occasionally sparred with the others as well, but Kiyone liked to stay in practice with their sidearms too.

"All right Mihoshi, there are six 'real' targets out there and a bunch of innocents. You've got two minutes to get through the course, taking out the criminals, and not harming the civilians. Got it?"

Mihoshi nodded, and checked that her blaster was fully charged and ready, but set to its lowest power rating good only for marking targets, not doing any real damage. Kiyone, moved out into the bushes with her own blaster out, similarly set low, at least Mihoshi hoped so. But it would be, Kiyone never made mistakes. Kiyone liked to add realism to the exercises, so she would occasionally send in blasts from hiding to make it more challenging.

Kiyone yelled "Go" from wherever she had been and Mihoshi was off. She immediately lunge rolled to her left and came up in a crouch checking the targets in her immediate sight. A blaster shot thudded the ground right where she had started. Kiyone had blasted Mihoshi right at the start quite a few times, and Mihoshi had correctly anticipated she might do the same this time. She spotted one of the 'criminal' targets, took aim, and fired, and immediately started moving again. She saw three 'civilian' targets, and let her gun sights wander past all of them without pulling the trigger. Another blast hit the ground near her, but she ignored it, still scanning for the real targets. She spotted another as she turned a corner in the trees, and blasted it from close range. She jumped backwards out of instinct at seeing a target that close, and again Kiyone's shot from cover hit the ground where she had just been. She turned and ran down the path, hitting two more targets and ignoring three more innocents.

She finally reached an opening which had numerous targets all bunched together, but none appeared to be criminal targets. As she ran into the clearing she spun around, and noticed the two remaining criminal targets hugging the tree line, one on each side of the path she had come down. She sighted and blasted the one on the left, and then snap-rolled to her right, once again just avoiding one of Kiyone's blasts. This time, though, as she came back into a crouch and sighted on the final target, she caught her heel on something. She sprawled out and hit the ground hard. Her blaster went off, after she had unknowingly knocked it over to full-power. The beam sheared through the tress, cutting down a huge branch which crushed the last remaining target as it fell to the ground.

"Aieeee!!!" Kiyone jumped down from the branches of a tree where she'd been hiding in order to attempt a few distracting shots at Mihoshi, and beat the flames out of her GP uniform's jacket. Once she put them out, she gave Mihoshi a glare, but then checked her watch. "1 minute, 57 seconds. And you got them all, I see." This last statement was emphasized with a look at the target crushed by the huge branch Mihoshi's blaster had cut down. She'd dealt with the weird events that always seemed to happen with Mihoshi long enough to accept nearly taking a full blast from Mihoshi in stride along with the strange ways in which Mihoshi always got the job done.

"Oh my, I'm sorry Kiyone. It was an accident. Are you okay? You look like you're okay, although you'll need to put in a request for a new uniform because of me. You can charge the expense to me of course, although it really was just an accident. I mean really, it should just go to standard expenses, I mean that's what I always do. And they've never questioned me on any of the charges, either. Errr..." Mihoshi stopped as Kiyone stalked over to her, reached out, and turned the power setting on Mihoshi's blaster down to low again. "Oh, oops."

"Well, that's enough for me for today. Let's go catch the others." Kiyone and Mihoshi began walking back down the path. "You know, up until that last little trip there, and by the way I am going to charge my new uniform to you, you were doing really well, Mihoshi. If I hadn't seen the end of that, and nearly lost my life in the process, I might think you were someone else." Kiyone turned toward Mihoshi to see the tears streaming out of her eyes, and immediately braced for impact.

Mihoshi flung herself on Kiyone, squeezing her in a tight embrace. "Oh Kiyone, thank you! I really am trying you know. I don't like always being so clumsy. I just always overdo it, or something. I can't understand why it happens to me. Having you back, I just feel so much more like a police officer again. I mean, I always felt like a police officer, but now I know with you beside me that we're going to win in the end. I'm so glad you can see that I'm not a total klutz."

Kiyone put up with the crying and hugging with her typical resolve. She'd endured worse in her time with Mihoshi. Once Mihoshi finally let her go, she flung her ruined jacket over her shoulder, and she and Mihoshi walked back to where the others were practicing. Kiyone couldn't help smiling.

--

"Oof. Ayiee. Hugghh. Enough, enough." Ayeka backed away from Sasami, rubbing at her numerous sore spots which would almost certainly turn into bruises. Misaki had decided to have them spar a little against each other so she could watch both at the same time, and Funaho had been more than willing to take a break. While she was a very good fighter actually, she didn't practice often enough to keep in the same condition as Misaki, so a break was welcome, and she had spent her time observing the two sisters as well. She waited to hear what Misaki would say, first.

"Tsk. Tsk. Ayeka, how do you plan to protect your future husband if you can't even fight off a little girl?" Of course everyone here knew Sasami was no longer a little girl, but it helped drive home her point.

Ayeka glanced over at Tenchi, before answering. She was thinking how Tenchi wasn't likely to need protection from anyone, and since Ayeka hoped she would someday be his wife, she wasn't likely to have to protect him at all. She couldn't say that here though. "I'm sorry mother. I'm trying, but using martial arts has never been especially easy for me. It's why I've worked so hard at being able to project my force field. I'm trying, but I'm afraid Sasami has passed me by already."

Misaki tsked again, and looked about to say something else, when Funaho revealed her observations of the match. "Misaki, I'm not so sure Ayeka is fully aware of why she keeps getting beaten. Perhaps a new approach might be in order?" She motioned Misaki off to the side for a private conversation. Ayeka watched them curiously as they leaned together to converse.

"I could be wrong of course, but I think Ayeka is holding back. I suspect she may not picture this kind of activity as being ladylike, and we both know how hard she tries to be the proper princess. I wonder if a change in opponents might spark a different reaction in her." She glanced over at Ryoko with the last statement. She had to smile to see Ryoko playing catch with Ryo-Ohki who was now in her little girl form. It seemed so strange to see Ryoko as a normal person, not the horrible space pirate who had taken her son away from her. She had quickly lost her anger towards Ryoko when she was able to see Yosho with her own eyes. Ryoko did have a somewhat pleasant personality actually, excepting the insults she often tossed at Ayeka. Funaho suspected the insults were more out of habit now than anything else.

"Hmmm, that's not a bad idea. Let's try it." Misaki stood up fully and turned to Sasami. "Sasami, your gloves, please." She held out her hand as Sasami handed over the padded sparring gloves and boots. Misaki took them and strided purposefully over to where Ryoko was still playing with Ryo-Ohki. She planted her feet firmly and addressed Ryo-Ohki first. "Can I borrow Ryoko for a little while Ryo-Ohki? That's a good girl. You can play catch with Sasami if you want." She then turned to Ryoko, and handed her the padded sparring equipment. "Come on, then, let's go." She grabbed Ryoko by the wrist and dragged her back to the practice ground.

Ayeka had been watching all this with curiosity, but now it turned to something close to fear. They wanted her to spar with Ryoko? She could barely keep up with Sasami, and Sasami had only learned a little while ago. Ryoko had been the most dangerous criminal in the galaxy for many years. While Ayeka would love to be able to really belt Ryoko, she'd always been afraid to try in any of their many fights. She'd preferred to protect herself with her force field or attempt to bind Ryoko with her logs whenever it got beyond a simple shouting match. She hated to admit, but she was a little afraid of Ryoko if they ever got into a truly serious fight.

"Ummm, mother, what do you think you are doing. I thought Ryoko was not taking part in our practice sessions." She looked at Ryoko, hoping for confirmation.

"Yeah, right. I already told everyone, I don't need the practice. I didn't become the most dangerous criminal in the galaxy by being a pushover. Why would I spar with a loser like Ay..." Ryoko cut off at the bulging-eyed glare from Misaki.

"Put the gloves on Ryoko, you and Ayeka are going to spar. Understand?" Misaki waited for the nod from Ryoko, accompanied by an audible gulp.

"Well, I guess if we're sparring princess, I should look the part. Is Tenchi looking?" Ryoko turned and spotted Tenchi, still trading blows with his grandfather. "Ah well, you can't have everything, Ryoko. Be glad you get to beat up the princess." And with that she phased out of the pink and blue dress she had been wearing so that she was momentarily nude. With another glance toward Tenchi and a sigh, she phased the red combat suit into existence around herself, and the padded gloves and boots onto her hands and feet.

Ayeka had been getting nervous, but she also felt a spark of anger creep into her heart. Even out here, where everyone was practicing to better protect themselves, Ryoko had looked for an opportunity to try and seduce her Tenchi. But as she stepped into place across from Ryoko, the anger diminished, replaced once more with the fear of Ryoko she usually kept buried.

"Ready for another beating, princess? I won't go easy on you like your mother or your sister. It's pain time!" And with that, Ryoko launched her attack.

Ayeka immediately backed away, doing her best to block the blows Ryoko was throwing at her. Ryoko obviously wasn't using her full strength, but Ayeka still couldn't manage to block all of Ryoko's punches and kicks. Nothing that landed was terribly damaging however, and Ayeka managed to get off a few weak blows of her own, none of which actually landed.

After about a minute, Ayeka began to notice something, however. While Ryoko was able to attack very quickly and strongly, her patterns seemed to be a little sloppy. In comparison to those of her mother any way. In fact, if she slipped that low-high kick combination Ryoko occasionally threw just so...

(WHAP)

Ayeka landed her first solid hit on Ryoko, causing a look of surprise from both Ryoko and herself. Ryoko quickly recovered, and started pressing the attack a little more strongly. But Ayeka had a little confidence now, she started seeing other ways she could get by Ryoko's sloppy attacks and defenses.

(Whoof) (Huff) (Thwap)

Both Ryoko and Ayeka were now landing blows, and the intensity of the session was rising. Ayeka started feeling the anger resurface as her fear faded due to her success. This woman, her main rival for Tenchi's affections, and the reason for so much of her humiliation, was in front of her. And she was now landing punches and kicks against her. She felt the tension easing out of her and started enjoying herself. The fight started flowing back and forth as both women fell into a rhythm. Finally Ayeka landed a solid roundhouse kick to the side of Ryoko's head, which threw Ryoko off balance and to the side. Ayeka looked at Ryoko with a smile on her face as she relaxed, thinking that the match was probably over with that. She had obviously just landed a finishing blow. She stepped back with apprehension as Ryoko got back up and turned to her with an evil smile on her face.

"Pretty good, princess. But play time's over now."

Ayeka barely got back into her fighting stance in time, as Ryoko launched her new attack. This time, though, the sloppiness seemed to be gone, and the attacks came faster than before also. Ayeka could barely keep up, and was completely on the defensive again. After only a short time, Ryoko landed a quick jab combination that dazed her, and then a solid kick to the sternum that knocked her breath away. She dropped to the ground and wheezed, knowing Ryoko had beaten her soundly after all. She saw the gloves drop to the ground next to her and then heard Ryoko's voice.

"That was a good match princess. You're not bad. If you practiced with that kind of passion all the time, you might be able to keep up with me some day. Almost. I won't hold back ever again, though." And as Ayeka staggered back to her feet and faced Ryoko, she received a short bow from Ryoko, who then turned and walked back towards the house. She called back over her shoulder as she left "Just remember, Tenchi might need you to fight for his life some day. Will you be ready?" And then she disappeared, phasing herself off to somewhere else.

Washu watched her disappear, and quickly hurried after her, hoping she was just going back to the house.

--

Tenchi had been dueling his grandfather for what felt like an eternity, neither ever gaining any real advantage. He knew his grandfather had some trick planned to spring on him unexpectedly, but he hadn't used it yet. And with that thought distracting him just the tiniest fraction, the trap was sprung.

A cloud of butterflies sprang from Katsuhito's hand into Tenchi's face and he couldn't see momentarily. He danced back quickly, knowing the blow was coming and trying to get enough space to see it, but suddenly he found himself face down on the ground, stars spinning before his eyes. He never got a chance to see it, his grandfather had finished him just like that.

Grinning ruefully, Tenchi sat up and rubbed the back of his head. "You got me again grandpa. How'd you do it?"

Katsuhito just smiled his enigmatic smile as the light flashed across his glasses. "Now, Tenchi, I'm not trying to teach you to be me. I'm teaching you to be prepared. Let an old man keep his secrets, hmmm?"

Tenchi laughed at the notion of his grandfather being old. He certainly was old, but only in the sense that he had been alive for a very long time, not that he was likely to die of old age anytime soon. His link with the Juraian Tree Funaho assured that.

"All right grandpa, you don't have to tell me. I'll head back to the house now, I'll be back later to study." With a nod from his grandfather, he turned to walk back to his house. It was then he noticed the crowd gathered watching two ladies sparring where Queen Misaki had been running her practice sessions with her daughters. Tenchi found it strange for their mother to be the one teaching them when they'd had their brother available all this time. But it sounded like Misaki was very particular that she be the one to start her daughters' training.

He watched a bit, noticing it seemed to be a pretty intense battle, and then realized who it was. Ayeka and Ryoko were sparring! "Oh no, this could be bad. Grandpa, it's Ayeka and Ryoko. We'd better get over there before it gets out of hand!" Tenchi started to hurry over, only to stop in amazement as Ayeka landed a solid kick to Ryoko's head, knocking her down. But then Ryoko got up, said something, and proceeded to attack furiously, finally dropping Ayeka with a vicious combination. Tenchi ran over as quick as he could, but Ryoko was already leaving. All he heard before she disappeared was "Will you be ready?" Then she was gone.

--

"Look at that Mihoshi, Ayeka's sparring with Ryoko. This could get ugly. Ryoko's going to mop the floor with her. See, look at that, Ayeka missed that block. It should have been easy. Huh? She actually hit Ryoko? You've gotta be kidding me. Wow, she's never looked like this before. Hmmm, I wonder if she's been holding back for some reason? Oh, wow!" Kiyone was stunned to see Ayeka drop Ryoko with a strong roundhouse kick. Then she got a little frightened as she noticed the look on Ryoko's face as she got up. "Uh, oh."

Kiyone and Mihoshi cringed as they witnessed Ryoko's new assault on Ayeka's defenses, and the end result leaving Ayeka gasping on the ground. "Oh, my, I hope she's all right." Mihoshi hurried the last few feet over to the practice area, followed by Kiyone. Everyone else was moving towards Ayeka as well, but it was Misaki who spoke first.

"That went pretty well, dear. I see you've been hiding your skill from me all along. I'm not sure whether to be proud of you or angry at you. I guess we'll have to see how things shape up, won't we?" And with that, she gathered Ayeka into a bone-crushing hug while everyone else tried to pick their jaws up off of the ground. Everyone but Funaho and Yosho.

"Ummm, Queen Misaki, weren't you a little concerned for Ayeka's health, pitting her against Ryoko? That seems a little bit dangerous to me." Kiyone was curious how Ayeka was going to react, but she was still mostly watching the spot where Ryoko had vanished seeming to be deep in concentration. She hoped for a bit of an answer from her mother at least.

"My Ayeka's tougher than you may think, Miss Makibi. As long as they didn't use their powers, no one was in any real danger. And even then Ayeka would've been able to block anything with her force field long enough for us to settle things down." Queen Misaki was looking at her daughter with pride obvious in her eyes. She pulled Ayeka into another hug, which finally seemed to wake Ayeka from her trance.

"Well, that went wonderfully, didn't it. I thought I could actually compete with Ryoko in a fair fight, but obviously not. I think it's time for me to give up this charade, mother. I'm not cut out for fighting like this. Let me stick to my force fields and leave well enough alone." Tears glistened in the bottoms of Ayeka's eyes as she fought the urge to cry. She'd so wanted to prove she was Ryoko's equal but in the end she'd never come close. And everyone had witnessed her humiliation, including Tenchi.

"Enough young lady! I'll not have you putting yourself down like that. You fought very well. Getting beaten by a superior opponent does not mean you're a failure. For the first time, you fought the way I taught you to instead of holding back. And you know that's the best you've ever fought in your life. Don't let the fact that it was Ryoko blind you to what you just did." Misaki was holding her anger inside, as that was not what Ayeka needed right now. She had to be convinced she hadn't failed and a tongue-lashing wasn't going to do that. But oh how she wanted to grab her daughter and shake some sense into her. "Moping because you lost a fight. Really, if no one ever lost a fight how would they learn? How many times have you beaten your grandfather, Tenchi?"

Tenchi chuckled a bit, and answered "Never. I'm getting closer because I've been practicing hard, but he still beats me every time. You should be proud Ayeka. You fought very well, and with more practice you could be really good." Tenchi gave her his best encouraging smile with that.

"Yeah, Ayeka, you were really good. You could've been beating me all this time if you'd been fighting like that." Sasami jumped over to grab her sister in a hug.

"Miya! Miya!" Ryo-Ohki joined the hug, trying to add her support.

"Oh, this is just so touching. I love family moments like this." And with that, Mihoshi flung herself into the hug.

As Ayeka's face started to turn purple, Funaho came to her aid, breaking up the constricting grasp of the three ladies, as everyone else laughed. "Now, now. Sasami, Mihoshi, Ryo-Ohki. Let Ayeka breathe please. She just had a tough workout."

As the pile finally broke up, Ayeka looked around at the faces looking back at her. "Do... Do you all really think so? But she beat me so easily once she tried." The encouraging words from everyone had helped, but she still remembered how quickly she'd been beaten.

"Perhaps I can add my praise. I witnessed a skilled fighter, Ayeka, not a weakling getting beaten up by a bully. You truly looked the part of a Juraian royal."

"Thank you, brother."

"Think nothing of it."

"Yes, it was quite impressive, Ayeka," said Misaki. "We're all proud of you. Perhaps you'd care to join us sometime, Tenchi? I think the girls might enjoy sparring with you."

Tenchi blinked, then looked at Misaki with surprise on his face. He opened his mouth to answer, but didn't get the chance.

"I believe Tenchi's training will remain in my hands, Misaki," said Yosho. "While you are undoubtedly one of the finest warriors in Jurai, he's my grandson. I believe I am perhaps better-qualified to train him, if you'll recall our sessions when I was still at the palace."

Misaki's eyes narrowed, but she remained calm to answer, "As you wish."

"Heh, heh, thank you Misaki." Yosho recognized the anger Misaki was so far controlling, and decided to turn attention elsewhere. His eyes twinkled as he turned to regard Kiyone momentarily. "That's a very becoming outfit Kiyone. If you're not careful, you might catch Tenchi's eyes with that." Everyone heard his chuckle as he walked away, then turned to regard Kiyone.

Kiyone hadn't even given any thought to what she was wearing. She looked down at herself, and realized what Yosho had been talking about. Due to the incident with Mihoshi's blaster ruining her GP jacket, she had taken it off, not even thinking that underneath she was wearing nothing but a tight undershirt. As she pulled the remains of her jacket back on and wrapped her arms around herself she noticed the looks she was getting. Ayeka's face was red with fury, of course, and even Sasami had a small frown. Funaho had a bemused smile, while Misaki had a considering look on her face. Ryo-Ohki had what Kiyone thought was a quizzical look, but Kiyone couldn't read her expressions yet. Tenchi's face was red with embarrassment as he tried to pretend he hadn't been looking at her chest, gazing in the air while rubbing his head. And that left...

"You know, he's right Kiyone, you do look pretty good in that uniform, especially without the jacket. And these GP uniforms really accentuate a good butt, don't they? And she's sure got a good one, don't you think, Tenchi?"

"Mihoshi!" screamed four voices at once. Only Misaki and Funaho had refrained, instead laughing at everyone's obvious discomfort.

"Well, really, how vulgar! Really, Mihoshi, you must learn to think sometimes before you speak. It's really not proper to encourage poor Tenchi to go gazing at a woman's, umm, posterior. It's quite unseemly." Ayeka had rounded on Mihoshi to berate her some more, but was brought up short by her mother.

"My, my, Ayeka, always so proper. Is it so wrong to try and catch a man's eye? Why with that attitude, I'd almost suspect you didn't want Tenchi looking at your, 'umm, posterior'. And here I thought you were hoping he would notice you over the other girls. Perhaps you ought to consider wearing some more flattering clothing, to show off those curves you keep hidden. And I suppose that goes for you too, Sasami. You're obviously growing up too fast to dress like a little girl any more. You two should ask for your mother's advice a little more often, perhaps you'd have found yourselves husbands by now."

And then Misaki headed for the house, Funaho trailing behind with her usual smile. Funaho winked at Tenchi, causing his face to turn even brighter red.

Ayeka's face had gone scarlet, and Sasami's and Kiyone's too. Only Mihoshi failed to be embarrassed by the just-passed conversation. She was thinking about what to do.

"Well, I don't think we can probably get actual Galaxy Police uniforms for you and Sasami, but I'm sure if we went shopping we could find you two some tight jeans, maybe, or perhaps some exercise clothing. That'd be good to wear when you're practicing out here with your mother. And I'm sure Tenchi would notice. He tries to pretend he doesn't look, but he does. It's so cute when his eyes bulge out like that. Personally, I like to wear a nice pair of khaki pants with a tank top, I think it flatters my figure pretty well, and I know Tenchi likes it. He seems to like that low-cut dress of Ryoko's a lot, too. Hmm, maybe I should try a dress like that some time. Do you think Tenchi would like me in a dress like that? And Washu told me once that some of her sensor readings spiked pretty high when she wore a nurse's outfit for him, so I think he probably likes uniforms Kiyone." Mihoshi suddenly realized that everyone was staring at her in disbelief. "Umm, what's everyone looking at?"

"Will you shut up, Mihoshi?" screamed Kiyone. She didn't know if she could be any more embarrassed than she was right now. She hadn't been trying to show herself off, but thanks to Yosho, everyone was going to think she had been. She didn't have time to waste on a man. Especially not one she'd have to fight with five other women for. Even if Tenchi was a great guy. Kind and generous, and cute in a still-immature-but-almost-grown kind of way. Capable of backing her up in a bust. And those eyes...

Ayeka was still in shock, disbelief in what her mother had said raging with the thought of Tenchi looking at her butt. She couldn't quite measure up to most of the ladies in the chest department, but she thought she had a pretty nice butt. Would Tenchi want to look at it? He always acted so embarrassed whenever confronted with a woman's body in some way. Surely he didn't want a woman showing herself off like that? But then, he usually only acted that way when it was Ryoko flashing her chest in his face. Well, and when he'd seen her in the bath that one time thanks to Ryoko. But, when she'd been stuck in the storage shed that one night with him, he hadn't really gotten flustered at the sight of her bare legs, he'd really mostly been trying to be considerate of her modesty, she thought. Perhaps he did like to look, he just didn't want it waved in his face. She'd have to think about it.

Ayeka glanced down at the clothes she was wearing. The loose-fitting traditional martial artist garb wasn't particularly flattering. It perhaps did accentuate the legs a bit, but it certainly didn't show off any curves. Perhaps some tighter workout clothes wouldn't be so bad...

Sasami was completely flustered. She was afraid to move, suspecting if she did so, she would trip and fall. The thought of trying to dress that way, and having Tenchi looking at her was almost more than she could stand. She decided she needed to get back and take a cold shower. She stumbled into a run heading back for the house. She managed to avoid tripping until she rounded a corner. She lurched back to her feet and continued on, hoping no one would be in the bathroom when she got home.

"Well, it's up to you of course, Kiyone. You can waste your opportunity for Tenchi if you want to, but don't blame me. Nobody else is holding back." And with that Mihoshi headed back for the house as well.

Ayeka and Kiyone exchanged a quick look, but then with a "hmmph" Ayeka also turned and headed for the house. Kiyone watched her for a moment, and then with a sigh, she too started home. Did Mihoshi really believe she was trying for Tenchi? She hadn't done anything to make anyone think that, had she? And she'd thought her life couldn't possibly get any more complicated.

After a few moments, Tenchi finally stopped staring at the space where all the women had disappeared. With a mixture of relief and regret, he decided he ought to head back home in hopes of a quick meal before he had to come back out to study with his grandfather. He really needed to do something about the situation with all of these women.

--

Washu finally located her daughter brooding out on the end of the dock with a bottle of sake. She knew Ryoko probably thought she wanted to be alone with her thoughts, so instead of saying anything immediately, she instead just sat down beside her and waited. They still had an unusual relationship, not the traditional mother-daughter type, but having finally had a chance to spend time with one another, a small bond had started forming. Ryoko still reluctantly called her 'mother' but Washu was patient. She knew Ryoko would give in eventually, and admit to it.

Washu materialized a portal, reached through, and grabbed another bottle of sake, scaring the pants off of the poor stock boy filling shelves at whatever store she'd happened to grab it from. She closed the portal quickly, and silently offered it to Ryoko. Ryoko took the bottle with only an affirmative grunt as her response, and proceeded to fill her cup. She downed it quickly, and refilled it again. She offered it to Washu, however instead of drinking it herself. Washu accepted it and drank it down, laughing to herself over her constant troubles trying to drink alcohol due to her apparent age. Ryoko didn't care. She'd probably been drinking when she was twelve herself.

Ryoko finally opened up, and asked one of the questions Washu had expected. "Do you think I did the right thing? I never sparred with anyone here before, as the only people who could match me were Yosho, and maybe Tenchi. They always practiced on their own, so I never really felt like it. I was always afraid I might accidentally hurt someone, like I almost did to Ayeka today. I was this close to really letting loose on her. Can you believe she's actually pretty good, and she's been letting people beat her all this time? I was so mad when I realized she was so far from her potential because she wouldn't let loose. Imagine if Tenchi had ever needed her help, or even Sasami, or you or me, and she couldn't do anything cause all she ever did was hide behind that force field of hers."

Ryoko had started shaking with the suppressed anger, Washu noticed. She wanted to reach over and wrap her arms around her daughter, but she also knew it would be good to let Ryoko work her way through her emotions first, so she continued listening in silence. Ryoko's spiky personality was hard to work around sometimes.

"And yeah, I know she has those logs and such which she can use to snare people and then jolt the heck out of them with electricity, but still, she could at least make an effort to learn. You never know what situation you might find yourself in. I've got a ton of power at my disposal, but did that stop me from learning more, learning how to protect myself without it? No. I decided I needed every advantage I could find in life. I might not be alive today if not for that. Yosho would have chopped me to pieces if I hadn't made myself the best I could."

"I took it easy on her, so I wouldn't hurt her, only to find out she'd been holding back herself. And then she's ready to gloat when she knocks me down. I could see it, she thought she'd won. I barely pulled that last kick in time. I would've caved in her ribcage if I hadn't caught myself, I was so mad at her. I wanted to taunt her so bad, it almost hurt to keep it in. But that doesn't work with Ayeka and she needed a lesson badly. Why did I have to be the one to teach her a lesson? Her mom's been trying since she was a kid, and yet somehow I have to swallow my pride and be the one. For Ayeka. It's not fair."

Washu held back her smile. It was like listening to a little girl complaining 'Why me'? She'd never gotten a chance to try and impart wisdom to that little girl growing up, but now she could.

"So why did you then? If it bothered you so much, why did you help her instead of hurting her like you could have? You could have just beaten her to a pulp in ten seconds flat, and called it good. Nobody would have expected otherwise. She'd never done anything to indicate she could stand up to you in a fight like that. But first you took it easy, and then you backed off when it counted the most, admitting that it hurt your pride to do that. All to teach your worst rival a lesson you thought she needed to learn." Washu remained emotionless, expecting the explosion.

"I did it for Tenchi of course! He might need her some day. Don't you dare go and insinuate I did it for Ayeka's benefit. I can't stand her. Always so proper, so royal. Why can't she just admit she's not for Tenchi. He's not made out to be royalty, anyone can see that. But he's going to need help in his life, he can't figure out how to control his own power. We need to look out for him."

"So it was all for Tenchi, then. Too bad, I thought you might have done it for your own benefit perhaps, but I guess not. Tenchi's sure a lucky guy, having someone like you deciding his life for him, isn't he?" Washu had said enough for now. Ryoko would have to sort out her emotions herself. She had one thing still to do, as she walked away though.

"Stop by my lab this afternoon, I need to run some tests. Hopefully I won't need to wash your mouth out with soap." And with that, she laughed her strange cackling laugh and returned to the house, leaving Ryoko staring after her.

--

Tenchi arrived home to a mostly silent house. Misaki and Funaho were chatting quietly in the living room, and Kiyone was drinking some tea at the table. Kiyone had changed into her blue jeans with a long-sleeved sweater she usually wore around the house, which relieved Tenchi. None of the other ladies were in sight. Ryo-Ohki, now in cabbit form, hopped over and jumped into Tenchi's arms, scrambling up onto his head with a sad "Miya". Tenchi avoided looking at any of the three ladies present, his face reddening slightly just remembering some of the conversation he'd heard.

"Where is everyone, Ryo-Ohki? I figured Sasami would be making lunch, and that usually draws a crowd. I'm starving. Let's go to the kitchen, shall we?"

"Miya," Ryo-Ohki agreed.

Tenchi walked into the kitchen with the cabbit perched comfortably on his head. He was surprised to not find Sasami in there, but figured she must have had something to do. He washed his hands, then set about rummaging for some food. He decided he should be polite and check if anyone else needed something, and briefly poked his head out the door to ask Kiyone, "Did anyone else get any lunch yet, Kiyone?"

"No Tenchi, Sasami disappeared. I think she's taking a shower, though she's been in there for quite a while." Kiyone tried to avoid looking at Tenchi, as well. She felt her cheeks heating up a bit, but he pulled back into the kitchen with a quick "okay", and then she heard him pulling out dishes.

Safe from his gaze again, she continued trying to sort out her emotions. Did she really have any feelings for Tenchi? She'd never really had 'feelings' for anyone before, not even when she'd been in school as a kid. She'd been a tomboy, she'd liked playing with the boys, but she hadn't liked the boys.

She'd only known Tenchi for a few months, surely she couldn't be falling for him already, could she? It didn't happen that fast. Kiyone didn't believe in that 'love-at-first-sight' nonsense. Lust maybe, but not love, though she admitted she hadn't felt that one either, not recently any way.

And what was up with Mihoshi? Why on earth would she try and encourage Kiyone to go after Tenchi, when she wanted him herself? But trying to understand how Mihoshi worked was a lost cause in Kiyone's book. Mihoshi, she'd learned to handle. Dealing with the others, if they all thought she was trying for Tenchi, that would be a problem. Perhaps moving to the city really was a good idea.

Tenchi pulled out enough dishes for everyone, and carried them out to the table. Kiyone glanced up at him, but glanced away again. He set the dishes down, and turned back to the kitchen, noticing his great-grandmother and Misaki watching him but continuing their conversation as well. He went back into the kitchen, pulled out some cold meat, and proceed to slice it up. Ryo-Ohki was happily munching a carrot in her usual spot on the counter.

"Those carrots are really doing well, aren't they, Ryo-Ohki? You're doing a great job taking care of the fields. I really appreciate you helping me so I can spend more time practicing and studying with Grandpa. Here, have another carrot."

Tenchi pulled another carrot out of the basket on top of the fridge and tossed it to Ryo-Ohki who quickly finished off the one she had been eating and proceeded to devour the new one as well. Tenchi chuckled, and finished cutting up the meat. He threw the meat and some cheese, and some crackers and bread on a tray, and brought it out to the dining room table, announcing loudly as he did so "Lunch is served."

To Kiyone, Funaho, and Misaki he quietly commented "It may not be Sasami-style, but it should get the job done hopefully."

"I'm sure it will be fine Tenchi. That was very thoughtful." Funaho gave Tenchi a smile as she and Misaki approached the table.

"Yes, Tenchi thank you. I'm sure Sasami would have made dinner as soon as she got down, but this was nice of you." Misaki also gave Tenchi a smile as she sat down at the table.

"Was that tea fresh, Kiyone, or should I start some more?"

"It was fresh Tenchi, I made it as soon as I got back."

"All right then, I guess we just wait for everyone. I suppose I should let Washu know lunch is ready."

Tenchi approached the closet door to Washu's lab nervously. He opened it and poked his head in, bracing both hands on the doorway as he did so. "Washu, lunch is ready," Tenchi called into the lab, noting the new strange contraptions which were just visible down the walkway into Washu's main lab. He pulled his head back just in time to avoid the robotic clamp arms which came shooting out of nowhere and tried to grab him. "Maybe next time, Washu," Tenchi laughed as he closed the door, and turned back to the table. He rubbed the back of his head, as he sat down to wait at the table for the others to arrive.

--

Ayeka heard Tenchi call out "Lunch is served" from downstairs, but she just sat on the edge of her bed eying the dress she had pulled from her closet. It had been a gift from Mihoshi on her last birthday. She had never worn it before as she felt strange when not dressed in her traditional Juraian robes. That and the fact it was more revealing than she was really comfortable with. Only Mihoshi could be clueless enough to not realize she wouldn't wear something like that and give it to her as a present.

Ryoko had apparently been mad at her, not for being a rival for Tenchi, but for not being able to protect him. Kiyone was apparently catching Tenchi's eye after just a short time living with them, and she didn't even seem to really be trying. Her mother was relishing in her opportunity to try and beat some sense into her again, just like she had when she was younger. Sasami was grown up into a beautiful young woman, practically overnight. And Tenchi apparently liked looking at everyone when they wore attractive clothes, and she'd never even realized, trying to impart her moral standards onto him to make him seem perfect in her eyes.

And so here she sat, trying to decide whether to wear a dress. What a completely ridiculous state to be in. Making her decision, she quickly stripped out of the robes she'd put on after cleaning up. She pulled on the dress and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was a lavender color which complemented her hair nicely. Mihoshi had been very thoughtful that way. In fact it was a similar color to the yukata Tenchi had given her that belonged to his mother.

The dress had shoulder straps, not extremely thin, but showing a large amount of shoulder nonetheless. It also showed a fair bit of her bosom, which she had never been proud of. She had nicely shaped breasts, she thought, but they were not particularly large, at least compared to Ryoko and Mihoshi any way. She wasn't too far behind Kiyone, though. But Sasami had already caught her, and she was still growing, too.

She looked lower, and noticed the way it fit close to her body, showing her narrow waist and flat stomach off. The dress came down to mid-calf on her, so it didn't really show off her legs fully, but you could guess at what they looked like due to the slit in back which was frankly necessary to make the thing wearable. You wouldn't be able to walk without it. She slipped the matching shoes on her feet, thanking Mihoshi's uncommonly good sense in choosing flats and not heels. Heels might have been more attractive, but Ayeka didn't think she could actually walk in them.

She smoothed the dress down one last time, and took a deep breath. They were waiting for everyone for lunch and it was time to go down.

--

Sasami was finally drying off her hair, which was a time-consuming process when it reached the length hers had. She heard Tenchi call "Lunch is ready" from downstairs, and realized she'd forgotten to prepare lunch for everyone. She was mortified that she had forgotten, leaving Tenchi to have to do that as well.

She hustled as best she could, leaving her hair slightly damp and struggled to get it into her trademark ponytails. A few hairs were poking out here and there, but that couldn't be helped now. She dug through her clothes rapidly, looking for anything that she could still fit into. She'd been going shopping a lot lately, stretching the household budget, but she had no control over how fast she was growing. She yanked out a pair of jeans and a t-shirt Tenchi's father had picked up for her on his way home from work recently. She jumped into them, noticing they were a little tight, and raced out of her room down the stairs to lunch.

--

Mihoshi pulled on her khakis and was about to put on her favorite pink tank top when she remembered the conversation down at the practice field. Kiyone seemed to have been upset with her for suggesting Tenchi might enjoy looking at an attractive woman as if he wasn't really a man or something. How could some people be so utterly clueless. She thought Kiyone was making a mistake, though. Ever since he'd saved her life, not just once even, Mihoshi had felt Tenchi might finally be that man she was destined for. But maybe he wasn't either, maybe he'd like someone like Kiyone.

Kiyone might want to put her career before everything else, but Mihoshi wanted something to balance it out some day. A man to come home to who'd be there for her no matter what. She'd met a lot of men who wanted to take advantage of her, but she ignored all of them. She'd dated a few in her days of course, but never anything really serious. She could tell Tenchi was different, though. He put other people's happiness before his own.

She put the pink top back in the closet she shared with Kiyone, and pulled out a black one she usually never wore, except to bed. It was tighter than her pink one, hugging her chest where the pink one was loose. She pulled it on, and tucked it into her khakis. She looked in the mirror, and knew Tenchi would notice this. She wouldn't throw it in his face like Ryoko, she never did that. She wanted Tenchi to choose her for other reasons, not just because she was pretty. It didn't hurt to encourage him a little, though, at least once in a while. Kiyone might not want to wear something like this in front of Tenchi, but she wasn't afraid to.

She'd thought when she first came to live here that she didn't stand a chance with Tenchi. Ryoko and Ayeka's competition for him was already pretty fierce when she'd moved in. She didn't think with those two already displaying such obvious interest in him that Tenchi would ever notice her. But he was always kind, never mistreated her, and never sent her away, even though she was constantly breaking things. But then that one day sweeping the shrine, Yosho had told her he'd feel more comfortable if she was Tenchi's girlfriend. She had gotten flustered of course, but her hopes for Tenchi had returned, and from then on she'd never given up hope she might somehow earn his love.

She was all ready to head back downstairs when she heard Tenchi call out that lunch was ready. She headed down to try again to win Tenchi's heart.

--

Ryoko was finally heading back into the house. She hadn't gotten enough sake to really make her tipsy, but she felt a nice warmth from what she'd had to drink. She heard Tenchi yelling that lunch was ready as she neared the door, and a smile came to her face. She had barely gotten to see Tenchi today. Usually she followed him back from practice to try once more to seduce him, but today she'd gotten herself so bent out of shape that she'd left before he did.

She'd missed her earlier opportunity, she'd have to go for it now. It would end up being in front of everyone, but that only added to the fun for Ryoko. She phased from her red battle gear which she'd never thought to change out of, and into the teal-colored dress with the pink accents. She left the button undone to show off her breasts as much as was 'decent'. She wasn't concerned about being nude, but she was pretty much the only one in the house who wasn't. If the Juraian Queens hadn't been here, she might have tried it, but as Funaho was Tenchi's great-grandmother, she decided she'd keep it within reasonable bounds.

She took a few breaths to make sure her head was clear after all the sake, and then phased herself into the house. She arrived at the dining room table, immediately spotted Tenchi, and wrapped her arms around him from behind. He jumped a bit, he still did after all this time. It was one of the reasons she found him so irresistible.

"Agghh, Ryoko! Stop that!" Tenchi was trying to pull her arms off when he suddenly stopped and stared up at the stairs. Mihoshi was coming down, but she was wearing a black tank-top that was thin and tight, and didn't cover much skin. Tenchi's face went red, and he was about to turn his head away when Ryoko's arms clamped down on him hard and he suddenly couldn't breathe.

"My, that's a fetching outfit Mihoshi. The color complements your skin beautifully." Misaki gave Mihoshi a smile and a wink. She wasn't really rooting for Mihoshi over her daughters when it came to Tenchi, but she admired the girl any way. It would do her daughters good to face a real fight to win him, and Mihoshi had just declared that she was going to be part of that fight for sure. "Ryoko, perhaps you should let go of Tenchi. He seems to be having trouble breathing."

"What, huh, oh right. Sorry Tenchi. Better?" Tenchi managed a feeble nod after taking a few deep breaths. Everyone turned back towards Mihoshi, and Ryoko was just about to let her have a piece of her mind when Sasami came bounding down the stairs. Just as she reached the bottom, she clipped her left heel on the inside of her right calf, and fell, or launched really, flying past Mihoshi right into Tenchi's arms with an "Ahhhh" and a "whoof".

Her hair was a little messed up, and looked like it was still a bit damp as it was slightly shiny. But what really caught your attention were the tight-fitting jeans and t-shirt she had on. The jeans were stretched tight across her legs and butt, and the pink t-shirt wasn't doing much better. She was in the process of trying to get up when Ryoko hauled her off of Tenchi. It only stretched her t-shirt tighter, and Tenchi's eyes bulged at the sight just above him.

"Are you all right Sasami? Put her down Ryoko, you'll hurt her even more!" Kiyone reached Sasami first, but Misaki wasn't far behind. Her mother grabbed her and spun her around a few times, checking for any visible injuries.

"I'm fine mother, really. Tenchi broke my fall. Oh I'm so clumsy right now." Her face was bright red with embarrassment, but she also remembered her chest had ended up on Tenchi's face before Ryoko pulled her off. A glance told her Ryoko had noticed, too, which was probably why she had pulled Sasami off. She suddenly wished she could go back to her cold shower.

"Well, if you say so, then. I take it this is an Earth outfit? It's... cute." Misaki was surprised her daughter had listened to her, let alone taken her advice so quickly, but with a look at Ryoko's and Mihoshi's outfits she was glad she had. She almost felt sorry for Tenchi, but then she remembered he was a man. They pretty much deserved anything a woman decided to dish out, and if Tenchi suffered a little bit, it was probably good for him in the long run.

"Wh-what? Oh, yeah. All the kids wear stuff like this here on earth. I don't very often, but I just grabbed this to put something on. I wanted to get down here quickly and see if we needed anything else for lunch. Thanks for making lunch, Tenchi, I'm sorry I didn't get here in time." Sasami frowned as she noticed Tenchi was turned away from the table, but when she realized he was holding his nose closed, she went red again. She hoped it wasn't because she'd broken it. "Are you all right Tenchi?"

"Mmmph, hmmph." Tenchi let go of his nose, hoping it was okay now. "I'm fine Sasami. And you're welcome. Lunch was no problem."

"Thanks Tenchi." Sasami sat down at the table, and everyone else followed suit.

Ryoko kept sending dirty looks back and forth between Mihoshi and Sasami, Kiyone's were just puzzled. Funaho's and Misaki's were smiles, and Tenchi intentionally looked anywhere but at Mihoshi and Sasami and Ryoko. And then Ayeka came down the stairs.

Tenchi started trembling as he watched Ayeka walking down the stairs in the tight-fitting lavender dress. It showed off her narrow figure perfectly. He was thinking 'Oh no, not her too' when he passed out with the blood leaking from his nose. Nobody else noticed, they were all staring at Ayeka. Ayeka noticed, though, she'd been watching Tenchi from the moment she started down the stairs to see what kind of reaction she got. It had the desired effect, though perhaps a bit extreme.

"Oh my, Tenchi, are you all right?" Ayeka hurried down the last few steps and then everyone seemed to reach Tenchi at the same time.

"Let go of him Ayeka, I'll take care of him."

"I hardly think you're qualified to help anyone Ryoko"

"Everyone let's not fight, please. Tenchi's hurt."

"Tenchi, Tenchi, can you hear me?"

"Enough!" Everyone froze in their tracks at the command from Washu, who had appeared while everyone focused on Tenchi. "Okay, everyone hands off but set him down gently. Good, now back away. Honestly, look at you four. He probably had a heart attack. Nice to see someone changed into something more sensible when they got home, Kiyone. Funaho, would you go get a damp washcloth, please? Thank you. Misaki, could you grab a cushion. Thank you. Kiyone, could you go prop Tenchi up so the blood isn't pooling in his nose. Thank you! You four, go stand in the corner if you would. That wasn't a request, now move!"

Everyone hustled to their assigned tasks as Washu moved in close to Tenchi to make sure he was okay. She suspected he'd be fine, just over-stimulated, but she wanted to be sure. "Mmm, hmmm. Vital signs are okay. Ah, thank you Funaho, could you clean him up a bit please. All right Kiyone, you can set him down on that cushion. His nose isn't bleeding any more. Thank you ladies. If you could stand behind me, please, we don't want the first thing Tenchi sees when he wakes up to be those four. Now then..."

Washu materialized another small portal, reached through and grabbed the appropriate hypo, and brought it out. She pressed it to Tenchi's neck, and squeezed the trigger. Tenchi jumped, and his eyes fluttered open.

"Ohhh... I passed out didn't I? Ugghh!"

"How do you feel Tenchi? Are you okay now? Perhaps you should go upstairs and change clothes now, you've gotten a lot of blood on that shirt. Good." Washu watched as Tenchi wobbled up the stairs, but once he disappeared from sight, she rounded on everyone.

"All right who's going to tell me what's going on here? Not everyone at once. If you have something to say, raise your hand. Good. Funaho?"

"Since you missed it, it basically boils down to a little display by Kiyone at then end of practice which caught Tenchi's attention."

"It wasn't my fault," Kiyone protested.

"Regardless, my son reverted to some of his old habits and pointed out the scant nature of the top Kiyone was left wearing. He never misses a chance to look at the ladies, sometimes more than that."

"He what? I never knew he did that. And here I thought he was a perfect gentleman all that time." Ayeka had never heard that about Yosho before, and it was kind of shocking to think she'd been intended to marry him. Ryoko and Misaki were just nodding.

"You were very young at the time, dear. And you were not only betrothed to him but thought you were in love with him as well. It's hard to see faults in those we love sometimes. He never really followed through, he was more of a tease than a playboy. He definitely got the ladies' attention, though."

Funaho turned her gaze back Kiyone momentarily. "So Tenchi got a good look at Kiyone in her undershirt. You might consider wearing a bra under there, dear."

Kiyone had turned bright red during this speech. The shirt was tight enough that she chose to wear it without a bra sometimes. It kept her in place for the most part, especially when it was just practice, and she wore a jacket over it.

"Right, so all this was because of Kiyone, then?"

"Well, actually, I probably have to take some of the blame, Little Washu. You see after Mihoshi suggested that Tenchi actually liked looking at half-naked women, my oldest daughter set about trying to chastise her and defended Tenchi. I suggested that perhaps her attitude was a bit misplaced and suggested that maybe she, and even Sasami, should consider dressing a little less conservatively if they wanted to get Tenchi's attention. I didn't really anticipate this, of course."

"Mmmm, hmmm. So everyone took it upon themselves to dress up, or perhaps down might fit the amount of clothes present better, for Tenchi's benefit?"

"Well, I didn't, I was just doing my usual thing. It had nothing to do with all that." Ryoko was listening to the discussion very carefully, not pleased with what she was hearing.

"I think now the question has to be, what are we going to do about it? Me, I'm in favor of all of us dressing that way!" And with that Washu morphed into her adult form wearing a mini-skirted nurse's outfit. Everyone else tried to pick their jaws off the floor.

"After all, it'd be a shame to keep a beautiful body like this under wraps all the time. It was made for showing off." Washu twisted her body into numerous seductive poses, playing to her crowd. "What do you say girls, shall we break Tenchi of his little nosebleed problem?"

Ryoko, as might be expected, wasn't thrilled with the idea, and had an angry look on her face. Ayeka's was thoughtful, Sasami's embarrassed, Mihoshi's was conspiratorial, and Kiyone's was horrified.

Funaho smiled, and answered "I believe that since Misaki and I are married, not to mention that he's my great-grandson, that perhaps our participation might not be wise. We only do that for our husband." She gave Misaki a wink. Misaki returned it with a laugh, and turned to her daughters while addressing everyone.

"I know I said some things earlier, but I'm not sure Sasami is ready for that. She might look like a young woman, and act like a young woman most of the time, but I'm not sure that's a really good idea."

Sasami's face had gradually morphed from embarrassed to angry as her mother spoke. "I'm not a little kid any more, mother, don't treat me like one. I've had my change and that's enough isn't it? Ayeka was engaged to Yosho when she was just a little girl. How old would she have to have been before you would have let her kiss him? How old were you when you started kissing father? You were pretty young, I know."

Misaki gave her youngest daughter a considering look. Sasami had finally admitted that she wanted something like that, that was good. It was going to cause friction with some of the others perhaps, but a little more friction didn't mean much in this house. She gave her daughter a nod. "Very well, then, if that's what you want."

Ayeka had been watching, a bit perplexed. It seemed like her mother was intentionally goading Sasami to express her interest in Tenchi, even though she knew Ayeka wanted her for herself. Why would her mother do that? And encouraging Sasami at such a young age. It was quite unseemly for a woman Sasami's age to be having a relationship. "I don't understand mother. You condone this? Sasami is a bit young isn't she?"

"She's old enough to make this decision herself, apparently, regardless of how she got there. Do you want to tell her no? I've been a parent long enough to know what the look on her face means. In fact I believe I saw her give your father the same look when he tried to tell you you were going back to Jurai the last time we were here."

"Ahh, yes, well, perhaps Sasami can make her own choice then." Ayeka had glanced at Sasami's face, too, and saw the look of determination there. Sasami generally had such a sweet personality that you sometimes forgot what she could be like when she made up her mind. Ayeka had been on the receiving end of a few of Sasami's stubborn tantrums in the past, and regretted it every time. Misaki sat down at the table and started sipping tea to listen to the rest of the conversation.

"I believe I too shall join in this game. You can count me in Little Washu... uh Miss Washu." The frown on Washu's face had confused Ayeka for a second. She could never tell when she was supposed to call her what. It was all very confusing. "Tenchi ought to at least have someone who isn't a woman of loose moral standards to look at occasionally." That earned the expected scowl from Ryoko.

"All right, enough's enough, knock it off Ayeka, Sasami, Washu. Te..." Ryoko was cut off by the 20 pound rock which landed on her head.

"You can call me mother. And your vote doesn't count, you weren't playing the game before any way, remember? You said so yourself. Mihoshi?"

"Oh yes, I'm definitely in. I think I need to go shopping, though, I'm not sure I have enough clothes like that. Galaxy Police officers really don't have much reason to wear stuff like that, normally, not unless they're assigned to Vice. Oh isn't this going to be fun, Kiyone. We can go shopping, try on dresses, maybe find some new swimsuits. We can probably work on our tans out here in the front yard. I think Tenchi might notice that..." Mihoshi rambled on as she bounced back and forth across the room.

"Mihoshi! What are you talking about? I'm not part of this! I did it by accident Mihoshi, not on purpose. I'm not trying to get Tenchi!" Kiyone was fuming. Mihoshi somehow got her involved in things she never wanted to be part of. They often turned out to be fun, though, in the end. Maybe if she just... 'No, snap out of it Kiyone. You're not after Tenchi! You don't have time for that.'

"But, but, Kiyone, we always do everything together. We're partners, aren't we?"

"We're partners in the Galaxy Police, Mihoshi. We do not chase boys together, understand?"

"We never had a boy to chase before, Kiyone. We were always too busy catching the criminals. But there's really not that much to do around here, I mean, we haven't even had a single thing to do since you arrived except boring patrols. And I know you like Tenchi, I can tell. Why don't you want to do this?"

Mihoshi was looking at her with the big serious eyes now, the ones which were so hard to deny. When she looked at you with those, you wanted to confess everything. She'd used them very successfully back in their previous days together when they were partners. Kiyone suspected a good number of the confessions they'd gotten weren't due to evidence but criminals being mesmerized by the honesty and utter decency which hit you when Mihoshi turned those eyes on you.

"I don't like Tenchi. What do you mean I like Tenchi? I've done nothing to make anyone think that. I..." She stopped as she saw the looks she was getting from everyone. Ryoko and Ayeka had a frown, Misaki and Funaho had an amused look, Washu's was inquisitive, and Sasami's mischievous. "What?"

Washu answered for everyone, "Who are you trying to fool, Kiyone? You may not be throwing yourself at him like some people, or proclaiming your utter devotion like others," that deepened the frowns to scowls on Ryoko and Ayeka, "but anyone can tell by the looks you give him that you're interested. Well, anyone but Tenchi, any way. That boy is pretty dense sometimes. But that's part of what makes him so lovable."

"I don't... Fine, fine, whatever. Mihoshi will make my life miserable if I don't agree to this any way. You women are strange. Why would you want to drag me into this mess? You should be doing everything you can to keep me out. I'm just one more obstacle between you and what you all want." Kiyone could only shake her head in wonder. Strange was an understatement. Insane fit the bill better.

"Well, I don't want you in it," Ryoko answered.

"Me either," added Ayeka.

Washu dropped a small flower pot on Ryoko's and Ayeka's heads. "Ignore them Kiyone, they're just afraid of the awesome beauty displayed in front of them. It's not really that we want you in the competition Kiyone, but more that we might as well make it as challenging as possible. Heck, if any of us ever get Tenchi to choose us, we might as well declare that person the Goddess of Love and Beauty right there on the spot for the accomplishment. Besides, this isn't really about competition, any way. It's for Tenchi's benefit and all of ours in the long run. He's got to get past this problem he has some day. I mean what if he was attacked by a bunch of good looking women in skimpy outfits. He'd die from the nosebleed, not anything they might do to him."

"I thought he already was," commented Misaki quietly to Funaho, sipping her tea through a smile.

"Quiet you." Washu gave the queens a glare. "So what we're really doing here is hopefully getting Tenchi more comfortable around us, instead of running away any time someone gets close. Understand?" Washu looked to Kiyone for an answer. She got a nod from Kiyone, but noticed it coming from Ryoko and Ayeka as well, and Mihoshi and Sasami, too. Obviously they were considering the possible benefits of getting closer to Tenchi, and whether it outweighed the increased stakes in the competition for him.

"All right, let's do it then," said Ryoko. "What's the plan? Do we all just start showing up in our skivvies all the time?"

"How rude. We certainly won't be parading in our undergarments, even if we may be dressing a little more noticeably. Should we perhaps take turns?" Ayeka gave Ryoko her best glare, before turning back to the rest.

"Whatever, just tell me what to do, and I'll do it." Kiyone dropped into her seat with a sigh and picked up her own cup of tea. Was she up to this? Did she want to be up to this? She mentally cursed Mihoshi again, and proceeded to drink her tea, trying to ignore the rest of the conversation.

"That would probably work well, Ayeka. There's six of us, so we can each have a day. That way he doesn't get totally bombarded by it, and he can gradually get adjusted to it. And he gets one day off, he'll probably need it. Any other ground rules?" Washu waited for a response. Surprisingly it was Sasami who asked first.

"What about kissing?" This earned Sasami six pairs of raised eyebrows, even Kiyone's who'd been trying to ignore the conversation. Mihoshi was the only one who didn't, her eyes had gone unfocused at the question as she considered finally getting a kiss from Tenchi. She came back in time to avoid collapsing to the floor in a heap.

"Sasami! Really. I think you're still a bit too young to be thinking in those terms." Ayeka hadn't expected that from her sister. She was quickly becoming a serious competitor.

"Ah, well, I'll let Misaki rule on that for Sasami. As for everyone else, kissing Tenchi has always been fair game... although he's been pretty uncooperative in that department. So there's no reason to change, I don't think."

"She's obviously going to do what she wants to, no matter what her mother says. Honestly, I don't know how I earned myself such a willful daughter." Misaki continued to sip her tea, ignoring the rolled eyes Funaho gave her.

"Any other questions?" This time it was Ayeka who answered Washu's question.

"Yes, Miss Washu. What about infringing on someone else's turn?" She was looking directly at Ryoko as she said this, the implication obvious.

"Hey, I resent that. Just cause I have something to show off, unlike certain skinny princesses... err... well, yeah, obviously we need a rule for that." Ryoko had been brought up short by the bulging eyes of Misaki. It was so hard to trade good insults with Ayeka when her mother was around. Misaki took all insults to her daughters personally, and you just didn't want to mess with her.

"Hmmm. Loss of next turn? Does that seem fair? Good. Keep em inside unless it's your day, everyone. Let em loose when it is your turn." Everyone's face turned red with that comment from Washu. "Modify your normal wardrobe accordingly. Anything else? No. I've got one then. Will you two ladies referee?" This question Washu directed to the two Queens. "We need an impartial panel to keep things fair."

Funaho and Misaki quickly agreed, and immediately made their first ruling. Misaki stated "We've discussed it briefly and here's the order. Starting tomorrow, it's Washu's turn, since she's the only one who didn't get a turn today."

"Yahoo! I like you ladies. Hmmm, which outfit." Washu's outfit flashed quickly between numerous uniforms, maid outfits, and dresses, many of which defied the laws of physics to remain covering her more pertinent parts. "I've been meaning to try some of these out any way. I think I can sell these miniature micro-suspension units to a clothing manufacturer." Washu got glum looks from everyone else.

"After that, we'll continue the order set up by precedent today. Second is Kiyone, as she got Tenchi at the practice field, then Ryoko when she came in, then Mihoshi, next Sasami, and last Ayeka, since that's the order you came down the stairs."

"Everyone on board, then? Good. Now let's wrap this up and eat. I'm starving. Tenchi? Are you coming back down for lunch?" Washu called up the stairs after changing back to her usual child form.

Tenchi returned momentarily, and apologized for being slow. "I wanted to make sure I got that shirt soaked, so the stain wouldn't set. Then I figured I'd clean up, as I hadn't gotten a chance yet today."

"It's all right Tenchi, we had some girl talk to take care of while you were gone. But now it's time to eat." Washu dug into the food with that, followed by everyone else, leaving Tenchi to look around at the faces at the table before starting himself. Something was going on, Tenchi could sense it. He also thought he might not want to know what it was.

--

Later that night, after Tenchi returned to the house from one of his worst Shinto sessions ever with his grandfather, Nobuyuki had actually come home for dinner for once.

"Good evening ladies. Nice to see all of you. My, my, Queen Misaki. Have I told you what a pretty young lady you are? I have? Well, I believe my son and one of your daughters would be a great match, don't you think?"

Misaki just laughed and said, "Perhaps."

"And you, Funaho, you're also a very attractive woman. Why if I weren't married myself, I'd be pursuing you. Well, if you weren't married to the king, that is. Well, and my Father-in-law's mother."

Funaho just smiled at the compliment from Nobuyuki.

"In fact, everywhere I look, Tenchi, all I see are beautiful young women. I'm not getting any younger you know. How long are you going to keep a poor old man waiting for grandchildren? And I'm sure Katsuhito would love some great-grandchildren one of these days. He's told me so."

"Dad! Stop it! You're embarrassing me."

"I've made him that offer any number of times, Nobuyuki, Tenchi's never taken me up on it. Perhaps if you were to just arrange his marriage to me, we could solve that little problem, and start kicking out grandchildren in droves." Washu had sidled up to Tenchi and grabbed his arm, but was quickly yanked off by Ryoko and Ayeka.

"Knock it off Mom"  
"Really, Miss Washu!"

Sasami called from the kitchen, "I'll bring dinner out in a moment. Why doesn't everyone sit down?"

Sasami brought out numerous dishes. Fish, pasta, bread, soup, tea, and many more. Dinner passed in relative silence though, everyone eying Tenchi nervously. Only the two queens managed to have a quiet conversation about events back on Planet Jurai, having received a courier this afternoon.

When dinner was done and tea had been passed around for the last time, Tenchi stood and said, "I've got some news to announce." This was it, the moment he'd been thinking of for a while now. "Now, as I can tell everyone is curious, here's what I'm thinking. I really like all of you, I do, but it's too crowded here for me sometimes. I need some space, someplace to get away." Tenchi paused to take a breath. The next part was the part he'd really not been looking forward to. With another deep breath, he continued.

"Now, I know you're wondering what that means. Well, it doesn't mean what you might be thinking. I realized something living in Dad's guest house the last few days. What I'd like to do is be able to spend some quiet time alone with any of you, without the others present. I know some of you are expecting something from me, and I never get a chance to try and sort out my thoughts regarding any of you, because there's always someone else around. I never get a chance to find out anything about any of you. Do you understand?"

"Oh, Tenchi!"

He was quickly mobbed by Ryoko, Ayeka, Sasami, and Mihoshi, all trying to grab hold and glomp a kiss on his cheek. Nobuyuki quickly snapped pictures with the camera he'd been hiding. Washu fought down the urge to do the same. He was finally taking some steps in the right direction, and he hadn't had to be led by the nose.

"Girls, please. So anyway, what I was thinking was maybe we could probably go every other day with each of you or something like that. I'll let you decide the order."

Smiles broke out all around, making the next thing Tenchi had to say even harder.

"Okay, Sasami? You live in this house just like everyone else. You deserve to be treated fairly, but you have to understand, even if your mother allows this, I'll be forced to treat you a little differently. I'm not comfortable trying to have a relationship with you right now, but I would still like to spend an equal amount of time with you if that's what you want?"

Tears were in Sasami's eyes, but she nodded silently. A look of determination worked its way onto her face as Tenchi turned back to everyone else.

"I trust you Tenchi, perhaps more than I trust my daughter," Misaki spoke with a look for Sasami which is probably universally understood by all daughters to mean 'no funny business'.

"Er, yes, now then, the five of you.. uh, yes Mihoshi?"

"Six, Tenchi. You're forgetting someone."

"I am? But it's only been you five, ummmm, Kiyone?" Tenchi turned to look at her in surprise. Up til now, she hadn't done much to indicate any real feelings for Tenchi. Outside of the eyes widening, which could be attributable to almost anything. He'd thought she was too dedicated to her career to waste time on him. "Really?"

Kiyone sighed. She liked Tenchi, she had to admit, but she felt like she was being forced into something she wasn't ready for yet. She suddenly wondered if that's how Tenchi had felt when all the other ladies showed up at his home. She'd only know him a short time, though. Perhaps they might have something in common, and he seemed like he'd be fun to spend time with. And he was cute.

"Come on, Kiyone," Mihoshi whined.

With a glare for Mihoshi, she answered, "Yes, me too, Tenchi."

"Wow, uh... all right I guess that's six. Hmm, well, I hadn't planned for that, but I guess it might be best to go one of you every day, with one day off. As for the schedule, I think..."

"Don't worry about that Tenchi. We can handle it." Washu silently confirmed with a look at everyone else what they were already thinking. They had him scheduled already, he just didn't know what he was getting. He might be in for a surprise when the time came.

"Thanks Little Washu. One last thing, I was hoping you might be able to help get the house, well, privatized, no snoopers and such. It would really help me feel comfortable."

"Hmm, that's asking a lot Tenchi. What might I get for this?" Washu gave Tenchi a look with raised eyebrows.

Ryoko quickly responded before Tenchi could say anything, "Oh come off it 'mom'. Just do it already. The sooner I get Tenchi to myself, the better. Heck, we'll let you go first, okay?" Ryoko knew Washu was already up first, but Tenchi didn't yet.

"That seems fair Little Washu. What do you say?" Tenchi again received the raised eyebrows from Washu. Then she laughed.

"Oh, you're such a cutie, aren't you? How can I refuse?"

"Ah, well, er, thanks Little Washu, you're the greatest..."

"Scientific genius in the Universe," finished everyone in unison, responding almost instinctively.

"I am, aren't I?"

--

At the end of the day, as they sat alone in Tenchi's room, Funaho looked at Misaki as she was combing her hair. "Sister, are you sure about this? Sasami is still awfully young, you know? Mentally, if not physically." She saw Misaki freeze, and then start trembling. Funaho moved to wrap her arms around Misaki in a hug from behind. In the mirror, she could see the tears forming in Misaki's eyes.

"I'm afraid for her. I know Tsunami says she'll have a complete memory when they've assimilated and that she'll still be the same person, but I'm just afraid I'm going to lose my Sasami somehow. I want to give her as much chance to be happy now and live her life as I can, because we don't really know what's going to happen to her. She'll be twenty by the end of the year the way things are going. What if it doesn't stop there, what if she keeps aging so rapidly? What then? I don't want her to lose out on her life even if she might not be ready for some of it. This might be her only chance for something like this."

And then the tears started rolling. All Funaho could do was hold her and wait it out. After a few minutes, as the sobbing gradually started to ease, Funaho said "Sasami is a good girl. You're lucky to have her. I guess we just hope for the best. Tenchi won't hurt her if he can help it."

"Not intentionally, no. But what if he chooses someone else before she even gets a chance? I'm letting my daughter play a risky game. I don't know what I'll do if she gets hurt."

"Trust in Tsunami. That's what we've always done, Misaki. It'll work out somehow."

--

Marco considered what his actions would be once he reached Earth. Obviously he had to pinpoint Kiyone Makibi's exact location. He presumed she'd be patrolling in a GP cruiser somewhere in the vicinity, but according to his information she could be just about anywhere.

Her partner was something of a screw-up, apparently. She'd been shipped off to patrol the solar system area due to an inordinate number of really expensive cases with big mess-ups. That should help Marco get his job done, if he could take advantage of her mistakes to slip in quietly. She'd have to be dealt with, too, no doubt.

He hoped he'd be able to scan their ship from orbit. He'd gotten the general idea of where to look from the Sakumi woman, but he knew it would take a lot of looking if he couldn't spot something before hitting the surface.

He leaned back in his seat, watching the stars blur by and started sharpening his favorite knife. He wasn't likely to get a chance to use a sword this time, either. He'd need to take everyone out quickly and silently if possible, and a knife was easier to use when you were trying to be quiet. The energy sword was almost certainly out of the question, the humming it made was a sure giveaway.

Some day, he might finally get his longed for duel. He hadn't met his match yet, and figured he probably never would, but he hadn't had to work for it in a long, long time. He was starting to grow bored with it, he killed people so quickly any more.

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	11. Chapter 10: Washu

Chapter 10: Washu 

Washu awoke, feeling less than rested, but excited for the day nonetheless. Today was her day, the first of any of them to get some official time alone with Tenchi. She had barely ever managed any moments alone with Tenchi except for those brief moments in her lab when she managed to catch him for a few tests. Those moments had been few and far between once Tenchi caught on to her game.

She looked around her lab, at the various gadgets and machines she had built, the tanks and cages holding animals of all variety, and wondered what was in store for her. She had a few things planned, though she wouldn't really have a lot of Tenchi's time in actuality. He still had work in the fields, practice, and Shinto studies. So really she only had a limited amount of time with him until tonight, and she wasn't likely to actually have him to herself until then. It was mostly communal or family time where the household members got together for meals and the like until after supper.

But she had some important things to decide now. Most importantly what to look like and how to dress. She knew she was going to have to bite the bullet and go with a more mature look than her usual. She was most comfortable in her child's body, however and wasn't sure if she really wanted to spend the whole day in her adult form. She was strongly considering something in between, like Sasami, perhaps a little older. Tenchi was about nineteen, so she thought that perhaps the appearance of seventeen or eighteen years of age might work out best. Tenchi seemed to be nervous when faced by an adult form, so perhaps one closer to the age he would normally have been interested in without all of the aliens in his house would work out well.

Washu concentrated a moment, she hadn't used anything but her child or adult form ever, so she had to get a fix on it properly in her mind. She could switch to either of those forms without any effort at all, but she would have to get used to a different one until it became comfortable making the switch, assuming Tenchi liked it that was. She finally got it fixed in her head and made the switch.

She finished the change and looked into a mirror she had materialized for the purpose. Her red hair was essentially unchanged, there wasn't any reason to do anything with that. She was taller though, the same as in her adult form. The most noticeable difference from her adult form would really be that she was a little thinner and her face was a little smoother. Those two things did change her appearance quite a bit. She ran her hands over her face and then the rest of her body getting used to the differences. She could feel the more defined muscles in her arms and legs than she had as a child, and the lack of extra tissue she carried in her adult form. She thought Tenchi would like it.

With that taken care of, the next problem was what to wear. She was first up, sort of, and she wanted to start things off right. She was setting the standard everyone else would be following. Plus, she'd rarely gotten a chance to get a true reaction from Tenchi until now. She hummed to herself absently as she morphed her clothes from one outfit to another. She knew Tenchi liked the nurse's outfit, even if he was too ashamed to admit it. She had the sensor readings to prove it. It didn't really seem to be appropriate to wear around in general, however, that she'd leave until they were alone, if at all. Again, deciding to follow Sasami's lead, she went with a simple outfit of pants and shirt, but very tight. She'd made sure she still had the impressive bosom in this form as she did in her adult, so it was sure to be noticeable.

She decided that blue jeans weren't quite her style, and instead went with some black slacks. She tried a few different colors for the shirt, before deciding that the light orange set off her fiery red hair best. She mentally dropped the neckline a few inches and examined herself carefully again. That was about perfect, sort of a young, modern, school-girl look. She'd considered some of those silly schoolgirl outfits with the ridiculously short skirts, but decided they weren't for her. She wasn't afraid to show off her legs, she just wanted something with a little more utility, and pants fit the bill. She usually wore shorts, now that she thought about it, and suddenly her black pants were black shorts, cut a little higher than what she was accustomed to, but still covering everything for the most part. She left her usual tights out this time, though, to show off her legs as much as possible for Tenchi's benefit.

She finished off with a pair of comfortable shoes. Reasoning that even though something with heels might be more noticeable, giving that false sense of longer, shapelier legs human males seemed to be attracted to, it would probably drive her height past that of Tenchi's. In this form she was close to his height to begin with. She didn't know if Tenchi would be intimidated by a taller woman, but why take chances?

She checked her hair was in place and her earrings fit the bill, and deciding she had the look she wanted Washu headed out of her lab to meet everyone for the breakfast Sasami was sure to be making by now.

--

"I'm home." Tenchi announced his presence upon entering the main Masaki house. He'd spent the night alone again, and waking up without Ryoko hovering was refreshing. He'd warned her before going to his own house not to do that, and while she'd protested, the threat of losing her own turn had stopped her.

"I'm starving, what's for breakfast Sasam... huh?" Tenchi stopped and stared like the rest of the family was doing. Everyone was there this morning, amazingly, even his grandfather. But everyone was staring open-mouthed at the young woman with red hair sitting at the table with a smile on her face. She looked mostly like, "Little, err, Miss, err, Washu?"

"You can all call me Young Washu, if you please." Washu was thoroughly enjoying the stunned surprise with which everyone had reacted to her new look. Ryo-Ohki hopped over to her and sniffed at her quizzically.

"Miya? Miya, mreowr?"

"Yes, it's really me, Ryo-Ohki. I just decided to try a new look. What's the big deal? Can't a girl change her style once in a while?"

"Washu!! What's the big idea any way. You think you can get Tenchi with that new getup, don't you? It won't work..."

(CLANG)

Ryoko was brought up short by the bell dropping on her head.

"You can call me mother, I think we've been over that already."

"It's very fetching, Young Washu. Tenchi, where are your manners? Tell her what you think of her new look." Yosho's face remained locked in his subtle, knowing smile.

"What, oh yeah, it's really... nice, uh, Young Washu," Tenchi managed to blurt out. She wasn't just dressed differently, she had chosen a whole new form, apparently a teenage girl or a little older. Obviously it was because of him, but he had never expected something like this from her. He'd figured she'd probably try and trick him into her lab later tonight or something of the sort, not the blatant attempt to look attractive, and especially not the young girl form he was faced with. He'd expected the older, adult Washu form at some point.

"Do you really think so? Oh, I'm so happy I could just kiss you." As Washu moved towards Tenchi, both Ayeka and Ryoko, who had finally recovered from the bell being dropped on her, moved to block her.

"That will quite do, Miss Washu"  
"I don't think so, Washu!"

(CLANG, CLANG)

"I already told you to call me mother, and you to call me Young Washu. Honestly, you girls just can't take instructions. It's a wonder you ever learned to get dressed in the morning. Maybe tonight, Tenchi." With a wink for him, Washu turned back and sat down at the table.

"Heh, heh. Very funny Wa..., um, Young Washu," Tenchi laughed nervously.

"That's quite interesting, Young Washu. Can you choose any age at all that you wish to be then? I really should talk to you about that some time. I'm sure my husband would be VERY interested in that if you could teach me." Misaki was looking at Washu with a mischievous gleam in her eyes.

"Sorry, a girl can't give away all of her secrets."

Everyone finally seated themselves and began eating. Tenchi was relieved to note that none of the other ladies seemed to have chosen to wear their revealing clothing like yesterday. Washu was enough all by herself.

"I wanted to thank you again for setting Dad's house up so quickly, Young Washu. That was really amazing."

"Oh, it was nothing, really. I'd had that Automatic Construction Unit designed and half-built already after the last few times the house got destroyed. These ladies are pretty rough." Ayeka, Ryoko, and Mihoshi colored a little bit with that comment, remembering how much damage they'd done to the house. "I just had to tweak a few things, and it was all ready to go. Fortunately, I had enough spare particles stored away to be able to create the rest of the materials your father wanted. From there, the ACU just went to work. Simple really."

"Well, thanks any way, Young Washu. I appreciate it." Tenchi gave her a smile, trying not to look anywhere but at her face.

"You can make it up to me tonight, if you want..." Washu returned the smile with eyebrows raised.

"Hey, cut it out, 'mom'. You're pushing your luck here." Ryoko was getting mad, and Ayeka didn't seem to be doing much better.

"Judges?" Washu looked to Funaho and Misaki.

"I don't believe she's breaking any rules, do you Sister?" Misaki looked at her sister Queen.

"No I don't believe so. In fact, I'd be tempted to say Ryoko is closer to breaking the rules than Young Washu." Funaho was forced to step back as Ryoko phased from her spot at the table to appear directly in front of Funaho.

"What?! What are you talking about?" Ryoko cried at the two of them.

"No infringing on another's day. That was the rule, was it not?"

"Yeah, but that was for what we were going to... Mmmpff!" Ryoko was again cut off, this time by the gag appearing from nowhere in her mouth. Ryoko turned her glare back to her mother, then back to the Queens, then back again.

"As judges, we have chosen to extend that rule to all aspects of each of your days. Do any of you dispute our ruling?"

Misaki focused her commanding stare at all of the ladies present. All of the women immediately started shaking their heads, obviously not wanting to risk losing their turn, though Kiyone's was only half-hearted.

Tenchi watched all this in confusion. Judges? He hadn't known anything about the queens being judges for anything. Apparently the ladies must have agreed to let the two queens act as moderators to keep everything in line for their personal days with Tenchi. He hadn't thought to do something like that, but he was glad, it would hopefully help keep the peace. He was nervous enough about this, it would be nice to think somebody was helping to keep everyone in line.

"All right, perhaps it's time we all ate breakfast, then?" Misaki sat down with that, and everyone nervously started eating again.

Yosho was the first to finish, and stood up to leave. "I'll see you at practice Tenchi. No swords today, unarmed only." And then he departed.

"Yeah, we probably ought to practice our martial arts a bit, too, Mihoshi," commented Kiyone. "We've been neglecting that a bit lately. It'd be good to work out a few of the rough edges we've probably put on."

"Sounds like you'll have a full class today, sister. I was thinking a lesson for my son's inappropriate remarks yesterday warrant some punishment." Funaho smiled as she spoke to her sister queen, seeing the resulting smile on Misaki's face.

"I imagine I could arrange something. What did you have in mind? I hate to admit it, but he is better than me. Just challenging him probably won't do any good."

"Well, I'm sure we can come up with something if we put our heads together. I think Yosho forgets you're just about his equal if you take that sword out of his hands. You'd hardly ruin Tenchi by teaching him occasionally. I think the ladies here might enjoy that as well, sparring with Tenchi.

"Uh, sure," answered Tenchi as he scratched the back of his head. "I suppose I can. I've never sparred with anyone but grandfather before, though. I'm not sure I'd feel right sparring with any of you ladies, but I can try, I guess."

"You can spar with me any time you want Tenchi. And I do mean ANY time." Ryoko gave Tenchi her most seductive look.

"Ridiculous," stated Ayeka as she pushed Ryoko aside. "Lord Tenchi should not be subjected to training with commoners such as yourself, Ryoko. I offer my services as your sparring partner, Lord Tenchi. I am not a lowborn hooligan like she is."

Mihoshi said, "But Ayeka, don't you think Tenchi should spar with someone closer to his own skill? I mean, I know you were better than ever yesterday, but I still don't think you're his match. Oh doesn't that sound funny. Like I meant you weren't right for Tenchi. I mean, I didn't really mean that of course, it just kind of came out that way. Oh, I'm so embarrassed, how could I say that? I'm so sorry, Ayeka. I'll spar with you today, if you'd like, I think I'm really more your skill level. Now Kiyone, on the other hand, she's a perfect match for Tenchi. Oh, there I go again, saying it like I mean she's right for Tenchi. Well, I suppose she could be, I mean who's to say which of us is really right for Tenchi, except for Tenchi, but I think Kiyone is just as good as any of us for Tenchi, am I right?"

"Shut up Mihoshi!" Kiyone yelled. "Stop babbling you bubblehead. Geez, you are so embarrassing sometimes. If Tenchi asks me too, I'll spar with him, but don't make his plans for him, all right?"

"Oh, okay, Kiyone. I just thought you might want to spar with Tenchi. I mean who wouldn't? I'd love to spar with Tenchi, though I think he's too good for me. Oh my goodness there I go again..."

Kiyone could only grind her fist into her forehead. "Grrrrrrr."

"I think I can settle this argument. I'll spar with Tenchi." Everyone turned a stunned look to Washu. "Well, I've been getting this treatment a lot today. Hello, anybody home? Genius talking here. Oh for goodness' sake."

Washu got up and walked over to Tenchi, everyone watching her with slack jaws. She took Tenchi by the arm, and pulled him up. "Let's go, handsome. Your grandfather's probably waiting for you by now."

"Huh? Oh yeah." Tenchi let himself be led out by the arm. Everyone else turned to look at Ryoko with a questioning look in their eyes.

"Miya?" Ryo-Ohki questioned Ryoko.

"No, I didn't know she knew how to fight. How would I know something like that. The link goes the other way, she reads my mind, I don't read hers. She's never said anything to me about knowing how to fight before. Really." Ryoko answered Ryo-Ohki's question for everyone. "You'd expect a lunatic like her to use some crazy gadget in a fight, not use her bare hands."

"Well, I guess we should all change into our workout clothes and head out then. I'll be waiting for everyone." Misaki had taken charge of everyone's martial arts training, not just her daughters', being the undisputed master. Only Tenchi and Yosho had avoided her oversight up until now.

"Ryoko? A word with the two of you, please." Funaho motioned Ryoko over to herself and Misaki. "I was wondering if you might..."

--

After a quick stop at his place to change clothes, Tenchi and Washu made their way to what had become the Masaki extended family's practice grounds. He'd had to order Washu to remain outside his bedroom while he changed clothes, but unbeknownst to him, she'd slipped in a small self-contained monitoring device.

"Those boxers were cute, Tenchi, were they the ones Ryoko got you for Christmas last year?"

"What? Washu! You spied on me?"

"I wouldn't really call it spying. Peeping is closer. And it's Young Washu, don't make me correct you again. I've seen you in your boxers before, if you recall. I've seen what's inside your boxers in fact. What's the big deal?" Washu was fighting to keep the laughter from rolling out at the mixture of embarrassment and anger on Tenchi's face. She loved to keep him off balance. He was more likely to make a mistake she could take advantage of that way.

"Well, don't do it again Young Washu."

"As you wish, Tenchi. From now on I won't peep on you any more. It'd be easier if you just let me look without peeping, you know."

"Ha, ha, very funny."

Washu and Tenchi strolled out to the practice grounds. Everyone else was already there, and Yosho had a mildly perturbed look on his face. "You're late, Tenchi. Perhaps you think flirting with the pretty young lady is more important than practicing with your grandfather, hmmm?"

"Actually, Yosho," said Misaki, "I was hoping you might give me a match today. I haven't had a really good workout since you left 700 years ago."

Yosho's brows furrowed slightly. He sensed something, but was unable to detect what it was. "I'm here to teach my grandson. But I suppose you're correct, it might be nice to face a challenger who isn't so clumsy."

Tenchi's face showed his embarrassment, but he laughed with everyone else at his grandfather's joke any way.

Yosho turned his gaze to Misaki who was beaming at him with a mischievous smile. Everyone else watched with extreme interest. They'd all experienced Misaki's teaching and knew how formidable she was, but Yosho was supposed to be even better. It was likely to be a very exciting match.

Ryoko leaned over to Ayeka and whispered "I've mostly forgiven him for defeating me all those years ago, but I have to admit, I'm going to enjoy watching him take a beating."

"Yes, I do agree, a small comeuppance for what he did to me seems appropriate, I must admit." Ayeka agreed with Ryoko, she'd forgiven Yosho, but a little payback was in order.

"A wager, Yosho?" asked Misaki.

"Perhaps," he answered. "What would the stakes be?"

"If I win, I split practice with you, you get him for the sword, the ladies and I get him for the unarmed."

"If you win... And if I should win?"

"Then I help clean your shrine every day I remain on earth, which is likely to be for a while. My daughters' education seems to be in serious need at the moment."

"Ah. Well, the ladies do a pretty good job already, but I must admit, it could really stand some thorough attention every day, not just the occasional cleaning it gets right now. Accepted."

Funaho said, "Best of five? I'll be the judge ruling on scoring blows, and I may ask Tenchi for confirmation if I'm unsure. Agreed?"

Yosho and Misaki smiled and nodded, and the two squared off while everyone else took interested positions around the outside to observe. There was a brief interruption to break up the squabble which started when Washu took Tenchi's arm and leaned against him, but after it was broken up the small clearing fell almost ominously silent.

Both went through a few exercises to loosen up after putting some pads on their arms, legs, and chests. Misaki shadow-boxed briefly, while Yosho did a few movements from a simple kata. Each watched the other intently the whole time.

"Enough already. Get to it, would ya?" called Ryoko. She quieted down when numerous sets of angry eyes turned towards her.

Yosho looked at Misaki and raised an eyebrow. Misaki nodded in response, and the two took stances indicating their readiness. Tension built as the two waited for some unknown signal to begin.

"Miya?" asked Ryo-Ohki.

At the sound of her voice, the two leapt towards each other and the match was on. It quickly became apparent that the two had vastly different styles. Yosho seemed to have a very simple style, little motion punctuating an almost impenetrable defense followed by strong counterattacks to drive Misaki back so he could set himself again. Misaki on the other hand seemed to relish in movement, constantly angling around Yosho to keep him turning to face her. Her attacks were almost blindingly fast, and her incredible strength was evident in the way Yosho's entire body seemed to get moved backwards or sideways when she struck.

Yosho managed the first hit, slipping a kick by the slimmest of margins and landing a straight punch to Misaki's protected chest.

"Point!" called Funaho, and the two stopped and moved to face each other again.

"You still have that weak spot, Misaki? I'm surprised, I've beaten that combination many times now."

"You're the only person good enough to beat that move Yosho. And besides, I needed to know whether you've slowed down due to a lazy life here on earth. Now I know."

Each got back into a ready stance, and the tension again built as they watched each other almost motionlessly.

"Go!" yelled Ryoko, and the two flashed together once more. "Geez, what's with the posing to start the match, any way?"

Washu answered, "In a real fight, there's nobody there telling you to start, Ryoko. Waiting for the unknown signal is the closet you can get in an arranged match to the spontaneity you'll face in the real thing. You should know that."

"Sure thing, 'mom'. Except I never had arranged matches, I just went out and got the job done. Waiting wasn't part of the plan."

Everyone turned back to watch the match in progress which flowed all around the clearing, and sometimes even wandered out into the trees and bushes before returning again.

This time it was Misaki who landed a short punch to Yosho's chest, a vicious series of punches had finally manged to get one solid blow through.

"Point!" called Funaho again, looking at Tenchi who nodded his agreement with wide eyes.

"Fast as always, Misaki."

"I've always told you you should get stronger and those blows wouldn't be able to get through as easily. You ignored my advice, apparently."

Tenchi watched the two return to their starting positions, amazement on his face. He looked at Ayeka and Sasami to say, "I've never managed to land a blow against grandpa, and I thought I was getting pretty good. Your mother talks as if it's no big deal."

"Actually, mother was Juraian champion until Yosho was born and grew up. He managed to surpass her, but the two sparred constantly since they represented the most skilled opponents either could face to try and improve. Yosho almost always won, apparently, but mother was the only one who was able to test him." Ayeka smiled as Sasami nodded her agreement.

"Actually, with a sword, the difference is much greater, Yosho is undoubtedly the superior of the two. Without the length of the sword to keep distance between them, though, mother's strength becomes a greater factor. She always tried to convince him he should get stronger and not just focus on his swordsmanship, even though it meant he might improve enough so that she was unable to defeat him any more. He never did, for some reason."

"Interesting. She's really that strong? You'd never guess it by looking at her, she just seems like a pretty lady normally."

"Ahem! If you're gonna lay compliments anywhere today, Tenchi, send them my way." Washu punched Tenchi lightly in the shoulder.

"Ah, ha, ha. Sorry about that, Washu."

Ayeka and Sasami looked at him strangely for a moment, but then everyone turned back to watch the match again. It went much like before, eventually both Yosho and Misaki had scored another hit, leading to the final session. This time however, Yosho took up a different stance than the one he had been using previously. It was much more aggressive than the defensive posture he had been using.

Misaki narrowed her eyes, then smiled almost wickedly. "Ah, the turtle leaves his shell at last. Afraid of losing that much?"

"There's nothing to be gained by losing in this instance when I can win, and you know it as do I. Ready?"

"We'll see, won't we?"

The two stilled, facing one another once more.

"Does anyone know where Ryoko is?" whispered Mihoshi.

"Shhh," hissed Kiyone.

This time nobody said a word for long moments. Finally the match began when some leaves rustled off to the side. Yosho attacked aggressively, coming straight for Misaki, throwing short quick punches to work his way into her guard. She retreated just as quickly, blocking everything he threw. Then Yosho stumbled suddenly, recovering almost instantaneously, but not fast enough to avoid the blow which cracked across his chin.

"Point! Match to Misaki."

Yosho accepted Misaki's hand in pulling him to his feet, and looked carefully at the ground. A rock of near two-inches in diameter lay on the ground near his feet, and he narrowed his eyes in thought. Paying it no more attention, he faced Misaki and bowed, which she returned.

"An excellent match, Misaki. It is good to know that my grandson will now be learning from someone with such skill as you exhibit." He paused while Misaki nodded her acknowledgment. "Make note of this Tenchi. Anyone can lose at any time for the simple fact that they step on a rock at the wrong moment. The faster you finish an opponent, the less chance of unusual events causing your defeat." Yosho turned to start walking away. "Well, I believe I'll leave you to practice with the ladies today, Tenchi."

"Okay grandpa, I'll see you later for studies."

"Yes, Tenchi."

"Well, how about that? The great Yosho defeated. Good job queenie." Ryoko smiled at Misaki, who nodded in return. "Good thing that rock happened to be there so he could step on it, huh?"

"Yes, it was indeed fortuitous, Ryoko," said Funaho. "I'm sure Misaki appreciates your talents."

"WHAT?!" everyone cried in unison.

"Geez, weren't any of you watching? My daughter phased through the ground and stuck that rock there. Misaki knew it would be there, but Yosho of course didn't. He knows this practice ground absolutely, and wasn't expecting it to be there, and thus he was caught by surprise. Only someone with Misaki's skill could have capitalized on it, though. Did you see how close he came to recovering? Misaki only caught the point of his chin, instead of his cheek." Washu shook her head in mock remorse. "He almost certainly knows what happened, of course, but he's too much the warrior to make issue of something like that. I'm sure he'd say something like 'there are no rules on the battlefield,' knowing Yosho."

Tenchi nodded, knowing that's exactly the type of thing his grandfather would say. He was a little amazed they'd gone to such elaborate steps to defeat his grandfather, and wondered why.

"Queen Misaki?" he asked.

"Please Tenchi, you can just call me Misaki."

"Ah, right. Well, you've obviously sparred with him on numerous occasions. Did he always win?"

"Pretty much, yes. I managed to beat him around once or twice in every thousand matches we had."

"Er, thousand? Wow! But... you were tied with him at two points each, you'd managed to score points evenly with him til then. Surely you won more often than that?"

"Did you notice how he changed his style at the end? He usually starts out conservatively, mostly a defensive style. He's always done that, it's kind of patronizing in a way, really. That's probably why Funaho and I decided to teach him a lesson. When he changes to an aggressive style like he was in at the end, he's unbeatable, not counting a fluke accident like rocks mysteriously appearing where they're not supposed to be. If he always fought me using his aggressive style from the start, I'd probably never manage to beat him, but he chooses not to, so as to make it a contest for a while. His speed is quite remarkable when he goes full out."

"I see. Well, regardless, that was a very impressive display, Qu... er, Misaki. I'm sure I'll learn a great deal from you while you're here."

"Why thank you, Tenchi. That's very sweet." Misaki smiled and reached out to pull Tenchi into a hug. "You're just adorable, aren't you?"

"Hey, hey, hands off." Ryoko and Ayeka pried Misaki off of Tenchi, earning them a scowl.

"Really, Ryoko. All the fondling you do of poor Tenchi here, and you overreact to a simple hug. Besides, it's my day, any way, I'm the one who should be upset, not you." Washu looked at Misaki with the question evident in her eyes.

"Well, Tenchi's definitely a handsome man, I have to admit." Misaki's statement caused him to blush, and rub his head while pretending not to listen. "I am a married woman, though, I don't think I'm ready to give up my husband quite yet, barring any setbacks. You ladies are safe for the moment, at least. Don't take too long, though, if he's still available in another thousand years, I might change my mind."

Tenchi spluttered, then attempted to cover it up by pretending to cough.

"Mother!!!" cried Ayeka and Sasami together.

"Yes? You have something to say to me?" Misaki eyed the two with a raised eyebrow.

"Er, no"  
"No, mother."

Kiyone whispered to Mihoshi, "This has got to be the most complicated family I have ever met in my entire life. You sure you really want to get involved with Tenchi?"

"Of course I do. I think it's funny how they tease each other like that."

"Er, yeah." Kiyone looked at Misaki carefully. 'I'm not sure she's just kidding, Mihoshi,' Kiyone thought to herself.

"Well, we've got some practice still, none of you have done anything yet except gawking. Isn't it about time we started?"

Everyone broke up into their groups, Tenchi with Washu, Mihoshi with Ayeka, Kiyone and Ryoko, Sasami and Funaho. Misaki handed out instructions to everyone on what to do and watched for a bit as they started putting those instructions to use.

As Tenchi squared off with Washu, he noticed she'd never changed her clothes to the more traditional garb everyone else was wearing. "Um, are you sure you want to spar dressed like that, Young Washu?"

"What, too much for you?" Washu concentrated, and the neckline of her shirt slowly plunged even lower. Tenchi's eyes started bulging, and his hand moved to his nose. Washu took advantage of his distraction and took the fight to him. She quickly threw a series of punches Tenchi was in no position to counter and knocked him down quickly. "Well, that was fun. Care to go again, Tenchi?"

"No fair, Young Washu."

"Really? Did I cheat or were you just not prepared for it?"

"Well," with a sidelong glance to where his grandfather had disappeared, "I suppose you're right, I wasn't really ready. I think you're taking advantage of me, though."

"That's exactly what I was trying to do, Tenchi. Just wait until tonight, then I'll really take advantage of you."

"Stop that, you're worse than Ryoko!"

"Now that hurts, Tenchi. You compare me to that lazy, disrespectful daughter of mine, and say I'm worse than her?"

"Gee, thanks MOM." Ryoko had been listening, along with everyone else, curiosity over what Washu was up to overriding even Misaki's dominating presence.

"Sorry, Young Washu. Can you put on some different clothes for the rest of the practice, please?"

"Fine, Tenchi. Better?" Washu phased herself into the traditional workout clothes.

"Much. All right then."

Washu and Tenchi began sparring normally now, Tenchi obviously the superior opponent, but Washu displaying some skill.

Eventually Misaki called off practice with everyone dripping and panting from the hard workout she'd directed.

"Man, what a bummer. I wanted to watch Yosho take a beating, and instead I'm the one who gets brutalized."

"Ryoko! That's not why we are here. We are here to improve our mental discipline and our physical skills. One thousand pushups for impertinence." Misaki put on her commanding face.

"What? You're kidding right?"

Misaki's eyes started bulging.

"Heh, heh, come on, a thousand?"

Misaki leaned her face in close to Ryoko's.

With a sigh, Ryoko began doing pushups.

"All right everyone, practice is over. I'll stay here with Ryoko for a bit longer. You can all go clean up, we'll catch up with you when we're done here. I can't hear you, Ryoko." Misaki turned back to Ryoko, as everyone turned to leave.

"Thirty-two, thirty-three, thirty-four..."

Washu latched onto Tenchi's arm as they walked back to the house. "Your grandfather is a very smart man, Tenchi. You'd do well to follow his example. And whatever you do, don't follow my daughter's."

"Heh, heh, I'll keep that in mind, Young Washu."

--

All of the ladies living in the Masaki house were soaking comfortably in the floating onsen when Washu arrived. The quiet conversations slowly died out as she lowered herself into the water next to Sasami.

"I see you're back to your normal self," said Ryoko, noting Washu's smaller stature. "So, how'd it go then? I noticed you haven't fixed his problem yet." Ryoko eyed her mother with a scowl, the expression matched by Ayeka.

"All in good time. We're hardly going to fix him in the first morning, after all. I think it went pretty well, actually. It's not as if he ran away from me screaming, after all. I think with a few days to work on him, I could get him used to me like that, including the skimpy outfit." Washu closed her eyes and leaned back to let the warm water soothe her muscles. "After tonight, he might be ready."

"What exactly do you have in mind, Little Washu? I certainly hope you're not planning to try and seduce Lord Tenchi?" Ayeka was expressing what most of the others were feeling.

"Perhaps, though he's probably not ready for that yet. That doesn't mean I won't try, but I doubt I'll have any success. My daughter's been blatantly trying for quite a while now, and the rest of you have been too, though more subtly. Why shouldn't I? I think I could make him as happy as any of you could, and that's what we're all really after isn't it?"

"You know, you're a lot more fun when you're acting like a crazy woman. It's no fun when your mother makes sense and you have to agree with her." Ryoko addressed everyone with that. Ayeka and Sasami carefully kept their faces neutral under Misaki's watchful gaze.

Funaho broke the silence. "It's nice to see all of you so concerned for my great-grandson, but are you certain this is what's best for him and yourselves? What if this should backfire and he takes a more active interest in women? He's living a quiet life here on Earth for right now, but someday he's going to have to go to Jurai and take his place there. There are numerous women at court there who'd love to attach themselves to the prince. What if he would leave all of you behind?"

The silence lasted for a long time before finally it was Mihoshi who answered, "Tenchi may be my destiny, and he may not. It will be painful if he doesn't choose me, and if he doesn't choose me I certainly hope it's someone here. If he didn't choose any of us though, I'll move on with my life. I've got my partner back, and a life in the Galaxy Police. I'll always treasure my time here, no matter what." That brought nods from Washu, Kiyone, and Sasami. Ayeka and Ryoko couldn't help glancing at each other, though. They'd perhaps invested more in the fight for Tenchi than the others and the concept of not getting him in the end was too painful to bear. Both lowered their heads and stared into the water.

"Well, this has been interesting, but I have a few hours to work in my lab before Tenchi's done with his grandfather. I'd better make use of it." With that Washu got out of the water and dried off before putting on her clothes and leaving. Everyone watched her leave, thinking their own thoughts.

--

When she got back to her lab, Washu sank into her chair, but did not start working. Instead she was thinking about what she would do if Tenchi decided to leave them all behind. Her work would keep her busy, it always would. But it would unquestionably hurt to lose Tenchi. He was such an amazing young man. So much power, but he had no desire to use it, he'd leave it behind if he could. She didn't think he would be able to, though. Jurai would call for him eventually whether he liked it or not. And the mysterious Lady Tokimi, whoever that was, had certainly taken an interest in their lives. That was going to catch up to them eventually.

She materialized her keyboard and tried to start inputting some data for her newest experiment, the trans-dimensional time-shift pocket. She couldn't concentrate on it, however. Was she better off getting out of the game now, so that when Tenchi finally came to some decision she wouldn't get hurt? And what would happen to her relationship with Ryoko if Tenchi should happen to pick her over her own daughter? They'd started forming a small bond, though Ryoko wouldn't admit to it yet. She had started referring to Washu as mom or mother most of the time now, even though she did it with sarcasm. It was only a matter of time before the sarcasm slipped away.

But she didn't like giving up, it wasn't in her nature. She didn't fail at any of her experiments, except when Mihoshi got involved. And she didn't want to just give up on Tenchi for fear of some pain. She'd felt more pain than she could have possibly imagined at the loss of her husband and son, and she'd survived. She couldn't have ever expected someone like Tenchi to come along and make her want to risk that much pain again, but there he was, and she was chasing after him like a schoolgirl. She kept herself under control in general, but when she got him alone she started to feel a little giddy. It was not a good state for a scientist to find herself in.

All she could do was try and patch things up with her daughter as best she could and hope for the best. If the time ever came when Tenchi actually made a commitment to someone, they'd deal with the consequences. It wasn't really her nature as a scientist not to plan for things, but she didn't want to treat Tenchi like a scientific experiment any more, that hadn't gotten her anywhere. She was ready to let her heart run once again, and let her brain follow along, instead of the other way round.

--

Kiyone rummaged around in the Yukinojo shuttle cabin, ostensibly checking to see if she and Mihoshi had received any messages. She hadn't expected any, and hadn't gotten any, nor had Mihoshi. What Kiyone had been looking for was some time alone with her thoughts.

This competition for Tenchi was starting to get her frazzled. The tension in this house was subtle, but always present. Everyone got along so well, in general, not counting Ayeka's and Ryoko's outbursts which Kiyone wasn't convinced were even genuine any more, that you might not notice the tiny flares of jealousy that shot up whenever Tenchi was around. Everyone was so practiced at hiding it from each other, that it probably took an outsider like Kiyone to notice it.

And she'd gotten dragged into it, whether she wanted to or not. Leave it to Mihoshi to get her into a tough situation. No, that wasn't really fair. Mihoshi had encouraged her certainly, but she hadn't removed herself, and she could have if she'd really wanted to. This was new territory for Kiyone, and she was barely managing to keep herself in check.

Tomorrow morning at breakfast according to the agreement in place between all the ladies, her day with Tenchi would begin. She'd rarely had a real relationship with a man before. The few had been short, usually the result of some extremely dangerous mission she'd performed with the Galaxy Police forcing her into close contact with someone. They'd all been over quickly, and none had ever been more than a temporary release. Nothing with the potential for long-term bonding this one might.

She'd be hard-pressed to name some of the men she'd had a relationship with, or recognize them if she passed them on the street. But now, Tenchi's face kept intruding into her thoughts. That scared her as much for the possibility of it affecting her performance as an officer of the Galaxy Police as to the possibility of having a real relationship. She'd always put her career first, but now she was giving in to the possibility of sharing her life with someone, and that would unquestionably force her to react differently in certain situations should that relationship ever truly develop.

She had to decide quickly whether to keep playing or get out. She and Mihoshi were going clothes shopping this afternoon, a notion which truly frightened Kiyone. It had sounded like Sasami was coming along, having outgrown almost everything she had as usual, and that might help. Sasami had a pretty level head, something which couldn't really be applied to Mihoshi. Bouncy was a bit more appropriate.

Kiyone had always dressed for comfort and utility, nothing else made sense to her. Either you were relaxing or you were working, why mess with the most appropriate attire for the situation. Dressing up to impress someone didn't make sense, and showing off her body was not in her nature. She wasn't ashamed of it certainly, she was quite proud of it, but she'd never spent much time wondering what somewhat else might think of it. She was fit and trim, and had a little more muscle development than was typical in a woman. Would Tenchi find that attractive when he had so many other beautiful women around to compare her to?

Deciding to quit wasting time, she headed for the shuttle's exit. Mihoshi was going to drag her shopping no matter what. She shuddered to think what she might end up wearing tomorrow. If worse came to worse, she could always do something to get herself disqualified so that she lost her turn, making it look unintentional.

--

Tenchi walked back to his house after his studying with his grandfather. Today's lessons had been a little better, but hardly fantastic. His head was still spinning with thoughts of the new 'Young Washu'. She'd caught him completely by surprise with that new look. He'd considered the possibility of her using her adult form tonight, but he certainly hadn't expected the young woman he'd been faced with starting at breakfast this morning. He had to admit he found it a little more comfortable to consider a relationship with her in that form. Her child form would make him feel like a pervert, even knowing she was really 20,000 years old. And her adult form was perhaps a little too adult for him. He wasn't completely grown yet, and the thought of a relationship with someone who appeared to be 10-15 years older than him felt weird.

Arriving at his own house, he entered and went to the bathroom to clean up a bit. Long hours of meditation in the shrine left him feeling a little grimy. After washing up, he sprawled out on his couch. He felt his nerves starting to get the better of him, and needed to try and relax. Up until now, his time with Washu had still been in the presence of everyone else. Tonight, he'd be spending an hour or two alone with her here in his 'own' house, and who knew what might happen. He expected Washu to try and do something to convince him to give up that last sample, but he could handle that. It was everything else he wasn't sure he was ready for.

He'd never managed a relationship of any sort with a girl before. Since he and his father had been alone, he'd never had much time when he was in school. Summers studying with his grandfather had taken him away from town when he might have had some time to try his luck with the girls. And now here he was, not just trying to have a relationship with one girl, but five at the same time, six in a sense. Six strong, beautiful, and most definitely alien women.

Washu was a crazy scientist, Kiyone was a hard-working police officer. Ryoko was powerful and brazen, formerly the most dangerous criminal in the galaxy, Ayeka was demure but she was also a princess of a huge galactic empire. Mihoshi was sweet, but sometimes a little panicky, and Sasami, well, if trying to date the other five women at the same time didn't already make him feel like enough of a pervert, he now found himself facing a girl who even though she looked much older was really only thirteen. He knew Sasami thought she was interested in him, and he wasn't ready to think in those terms with her, at least not yet. He also knew how stubborn she could be, and deemed it important to at least give her some personal time. Sasami's old words echoed in his mind, 'You're a naughty boy, aren't you Tenchi?'

He heard the knock on his door, and went to answer it. There was Washu, and again it took Tenchi a moment to get over how attractive she was in that form. He pried his eyes off of the dip in her shirt and asked, "Is it dinner time already?"

"Yep, Sasami sent me to get you. Everyone should be there shortly. Shall we go?"

"I guess so. Sasami wouldn't forgive us if we were late."

--

Dinner had passed fairly uneventfully, though Ryoko and Ayeka had been a little perturbed to lose their usual spots next to Tenchi. Washu sat on his left, and when the argument had broken out between Ayeka and Ryoko over who got the other spot next to him, the matter had been settled by Misaki taking the place to Tenchi's right. She had announced that either she or Funaho would get the extra place next to Tenchi from then on, and no one had dared argue with her.

After dinner and dishes, everyone had retired to the living room to watch TV and have quiet conversations. The atmosphere had been a little strained at first as everyone was conscious of the fact that soon Tenchi and Washu would return to his house to be alone for a while. Only Misaki and Funaho remained unaffected, chatting amiably about raising kids without any regard for those same children who were within earshot. Yosho had only managed to listen for a short time before excusing himself, obviously having endured the treatment from his mother before. Ayeka and Sasami had become increasingly embarrassed as Misaki related stories of the silly things they had done as children.

Everyone had burst out laughing when told of the time Ayeka, about five years of age at the time, had interrupted a state dinner with large numbers of dignitaries and high-ranking officials by approaching her father and swinging on his beard. Ayeka's face had turned crimson as this story was told, and only returned to normal when Misaki continued on to tell of the time Sasami had caused a city-wide panic by releasing all the animals from the royal menagerie when she was four. Some of the larger animals had done significant damage to the palace, and a few people had been scared nearly to death when they encountered a pack of rodents stampeding down the street. They'd been pursued by the fanged Calmantian Hiburos, which according to Washu resembled the timberwolves of North America, except that they had longer teeth.

Finally Washu tired of the waiting and pulled Tenchi up from his spot on the floor, and dragged him to the doorway. "Let's go Tenchi, this is my day. Time's wasting." She ignored the jealous looks she got from everyone as she pulled Tenchi out the door.

--

"So, Tenchi, now that we're alone, what were you planning on doing with me?" Washu put on her best innocent face, batting her eyes at Tenchi.

"I'm warning you, Young Washu, no funny business. I just want to spend some time with you, that's all, okay?"

"So you haven't even thought about what you'd like to do tonight, then?"

Tenchi rubbed the back of his head, getting a little nervous. He hadn't thought that far ahead. He'd just assumed they'd sit and talk and things would go wherever they went. She'd obviously been expecting him to plan something for her. Thinking quickly he blurted out the first idea he could come up with.

"Well, I kind of envisioned this as a time to get to know more about you. But I suppose we could..."

"Yes?"

"Um, well, we could watch a movie?" Tenchi cringed, thinking how lame that sounded. 'She's going to hate me for this, she was expecting something romantic and all I could come up with was that.'

"A movie sounds nice. What did you have in mind?"

Tenchi managed to breathe again. "Well, I thought I'd let you choose something. If none of the stuff I have looks good, I figured you could probably tune something in somehow. You're good at that kind of stuff, you know?"

"Just good? I think I'm insulted Tenchi. I'm the greatest scientific genius in the universe, and all you can say is I'm 'good' at that stuff?"

"I'm sorry, Young Washu, you're amazing, no, fantastic, at that stuff. Please, do what you do better than everyone else."

"Now that's more like it. You've got good manners when you try. Well, let's see what I have to work with."

Washu rummaged through Tenchi's assortment of movies, not finding anything to her liking. After discarding all of them, she turned to his TV, pulled a universal tuning array like the one in the main house out of subspace, and attached it to the small TV present in the house. She fiddled with it for a while, until she found what she was looking for.

"There we go, I knew it would be being broadcast from somewhere in the galaxy."

She settled back onto the small couch beside Tenchi, and folded her legs underneath her. Tenchi leaned back into the corner, trying to leave as much space as possible between them without being obvious about it.

"What the heck? That looks like 'Godzilla'. I didn't know you liked that kind of thing, Young Washu."

"Actually, that's not Godzilla, just watch Tenchi."

Tenchi sat back and watched with amusement as he realized that what had originally looked like a giant lizard was really just a tiny one living in a mad scientist's lab, trying frantically to escape. The buildings it had knocked over when she first turned it on had really been the scientist's child's toys. The camera angle had tricked you into thinking it was bigger than it really was. After a while, some of the devices concocted by the scientist to try and recapture the lizard were truly frightening, most not recognizable to Tenchi at all.

"Where do you think they got the idea for Godzilla? Someone smuggled in a broadcast of 'Chiho's escape' a few years back. I recognized it the first time I saw 'Godzilla' playing on your normal TV."

"That's amazing, Young Washu. I always thought that was an original."

"Very little here on earth is actually an original, Tenchi. You live on a pretty isolated world that's way behind the times from the galaxy's perspective, you know."

"Yeah, I guess I know that now. It's still hard to try and think in those terms, though. You ladies have sure turned my world on its head. I thought I was going to live a nice boring life, becoming an architect like my dad, or maybe a priest like Grandpa, and then all of a sudden I'm being attacked by aliens and flying through space. It's still hard to believe."

"You don't resent us, do you Tenchi? Taking away your simple life?"

"No, no I don't. Not any more, any way. I did a little bit at first, because it was so hard to adjust. After my mother died it was just us three bachelors, and I didn't even see grandpa much except during the summers. But now, even though the house is crowded, I couldn't imagine it being any other way. It just feels normal now."

"That's good. I've always been afraid I made you feel like Chiho there. I hope you're not scared of me, are you Tenchi?"

Tenchi turned away from the TV to look at Washu. She was looking at him with glistening eyes, and Tenchi knew he couldn't say the wrong thing now.

"Of course not, I'm not scared of you. A little scared of some of your experiments, maybe, but not of you. I know you wouldn't intentionally do anything to harm me, or anyone else here."

"Yeeha!" Washu threw herself at Tenchi with that statement, and kissed him on the cheek. He was so surprised it took him a moment to realize she was on top of him on the corner of the couch and he had nowhere to escape.

"Um, Young Washu?"

"Yes, Tenchi?" Washu continued planting kisses on his cheek, each one a little closer to his mouth than the previous.

"You're, uh, well you're making me a little uncomfortable."

"You know if you loosened up those pants, you'd be less uncomfortable."

"Geez, that's not what I meant. I mean, I don't think I'm ready to sit on a couch kissing with any of you yet. That's what you're trying to do here, isn't it?"

"What's wrong with that, hmm, Tenchi?" Washu finally lifted herself off of Tenchi enough to look him in the eyes. "So you want to spend some time alone with each of us, and do nothing but talk and watch movies? I guess that's up to you, Tenchi. You're missing out on a big opportunity here, though. All of us would be more than willing to 'sit on a couch kissing' with you, and I'm pretty sure my daughter and even Ayeka would do more than just that if you wanted to. I might too, if you asked me right. I've been alone for a long time."

Tenchi's face had been heating up, but that thought was too much, and he had to pinch his nose closed to try and stop the blood. He had to take a few moments to collect himself, all the time Washu silently watching him to see how he would react. He finally got himself under control, and faced Washu again.

"I'm just not ready for what you're suggesting, Washu. It's too early, and too big a commitment. Maybe if only one of you was here, but I can't do that until I figure out what I'm really feeling. You understand don't you?"

"I do Tenchi. I'm not sure some of the others do, but I understand. They're all so young and inexperienced in comparison. I doubt any of them have had any real serious relationships before, either. I know I'm the only one who's ever been married."

"Yeah, I suppose that's true. I just can't fathom 20,000 years. That's longer than the recorded history of earth pretty much. Don't you ever get bored?"

"Sometimes. I pick up hobbies from time to time, just like anyone else, but of course my experiments always occupy my time, too. Didn't you wonder where I learned how to fight?"

"Well, now that you mention it, yeah I was kinda wondering about that. It's so different from your normal."

"How old are you? Eighteen, right. How many hobbies have you picked up in that time?"

"Well, I really don't have much for hobbies. I've had to spend so much of my time working, or looking after dad and grandpa. I suppose the closest you might find would be I like to do sketches. I think I get that from my dad."

"So you're eighteen, and you have a hobby. I'm 20,000. Even throwing out the 5,000 years I was trapped by Kagato, how many hobbies do you think I might have picked up in my time?"

Tenchi whistled as the possibilities crossed through his mind.

"That's right, I've had lots. They come and go over time, but I've tried all sorts of things you probably can't even imagine. I've tried singing, pottery, martial arts, obviously. I even tried fan dancing once. I'll show you that some time if you want." She chuckled at the confused look on Tenchi's face. "Trust me, you'd enjoy it."

With a scratch of his head and a yawn, Tenchi replied, "I'll take your word for it. I think it's about time for bed, Young Washu. I'm pretty beat. It's been a long day."

"Okay, where do I sleep?"

"Huh?"

"Well, I'll sleep in your bed with you if you want, Tenchi, but I thought you weren't ready for that."

"Ah well, I kind of thought..."

"Thought what? It's my day, and I'm going to use all of it. I've slept in your room before, you know."

"Yeah but that was..."

"Yes?"

"Um, I don't really have any place for you. Could you, you know, make a bed?"

"Of course I can make a bed. I'm surprised you haven't learned by now. First you put the sheets on, then the blankets, then..."

"Arrgghh!"

"I tell you, no sense of humor. Fine, hear goes." Washu opened up a portal to subspace, larger than usual. "Just reach in there and pull it out, Tenchi."

"Who, me?" Tenchi eyed the hole nervously.

"Well you don't expect little old me to haul a bed out of there, do you?"

"No, I suppose not." Tenchi tentatively reached into the hole, shivering as his arm seemed to disappear. When his hand finally encountered something, he grabbed it and pulled it out quickly.

"Heh, heh. Young Washu?" Tenchi held out something that looked vaguely like an umbrella.

"Well, obviously that's not it, go ahead and put that back. I'm sure I had that portal adjusted correctly, try it again."

Tenchi reached in again, and this time his hand encountered something that felt like a mattress. He gave a tug, surprised at how easily it moved. In fact it slipped right out of the hole until he had it out completely before he finally felt the weight. He carefully set the futon down on the floor, and then put the umbrella-like object back. Washu let the portal close when he was done.

"How about we put it over here?" Tenchi pulled a lamp out from the corner by his bed, leaving just enough space to put the futon next to his bed.

"That's fine, thank you Tenchi."

"All right, I'm going to wash up for the night, I'll be back in a bit."

While he was away, Washu briefly morphed her clothes into a few different styles of pajamas, not liking any of them. Finally she settled on just a long t-shirt, barely coming down past her hips. She was sitting on the end of his bed when he came back in, legs crossed. Tenchi froze at the sight, and his hand twitched instinctively for his nose. Washu smiled when she noticed his lack of reaction.

"Ahh, Young Washu?"

"Last chance to give me that sample, Tenchi."

"I told you, no funny business. I'm not ready."

"Too bad, it's your loss."

Washu jumped down from the bed, and crawled under the covers of the futon, not making any effort to keep her t-shirt from riding up and showing off her underwear. Tenchi couldn't stop it that time and had to pinch his nose closed. Washu sighed and thought to herself, 'I suppose it's too much to hope for, to cure him in one night.'

Once Tenchi had himself under control again, he leaned down and smiled at Washu. "Sweet dreams, Young Washu." Then he leaned closer and planted a soft kiss on her lips. He chuckled as he climbed into bed, Washu had frozen stiff at the kiss. He'd surprised himself with that, and obviously her, but it had felt right at the time.

He turned out the lights, and pulled up the covers when he heard Washu say, "You're going to have to practice, Tenchi. I've received better kisses from a Calmantian Hiburo."

Neither noticed as Nobuyuki was hurled away from the house by the device Washu had installed to keep him from filming anything. --

Kiyone slipped out the front door of the house, hoping nobody had noticed her doing so. She quietly started walking down the shore of the lake towards Tenchi's house. She had gotten to within about 50 feet when...

"What are you doing, Kiyone?"

"Yaahh! Where'd you come from Mihoshi?"

"Well, that's a good question. I was looking for my slippers, but I couldn't seem to find them. So I was looking around for someone to ask about them, but everyone seemed to have disappeared. I saw Ryoko phase up through the roof, so I thought I'd come out and ask her, but I got turned around trying to figure out what part of the roof she might have come out from. I was just walking around the outside trying to see if I could spot her, then I saw you. So what are you doing out here?"

"Ah, well, you see I was just out for a stroll, really."

"Well you need to be careful. You don't want to get too close to Tenchi's house. They'll think you're spying and you'd lose your turn. You wouldn't want that, would you?"

"Umm... no?"

"That's good. Now let's get back to the house. Do you know where my slippers are?" Mihoshi grabbed her by the arm and dragged her back to the house. 'Scratch that idea,' thought Kiyone. 'Now I'm stuck for it tomorrow.'

As they were nearing the house, Kiyone noticed Ryoko sitting on the edge of the roof, watching Tenchi's house. 'She's probably not taking this well' thought Kiyone. 'Having your mother after the same man as you, I can't even imagine that. And I'm not helping any, either, with my participation. What a mess.'

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	12. Chapter 11: Kiyone

Chapter 11: Kiyone 

Kiyone smashed the alarm clock as it rang, frustration over her lack of sleep causing her to take it out on the innocent object. A glance showed her that Mihoshi hadn't been woken up by the alarm going off, unsurprisingly. Kiyone had slept fitfully last night. Thoughts of what she was going to do today had intruded into her thoughts, making sleep hard to come by. She'd set the alarm a little early to give herself time to get ready, and that just made it worse.

She crawled out of bed, tempted to kick Mihoshi on the way to the closet to grab some clothes. She snagged the outfit she'd decided on, and quickly headed out for the portal to the floating onsen. She was going to try and relax somehow, and she only had a short time before she'd have to make an appearance at breakfast to start 'her day'.

She threw her clothes down in a pile, quickly stripped out of her tiny pajamas, and slipped into the warm water. She felt the tension leaving her muscles, but now she had nothing to do but think about what she was doing. It was so ridiculous, chasing a boy, even competing for him with five other women. She vaguely wished it was just the ridiculous nightmare as it seemed to be, not the actual truth.

She'd seen what Washu had been doing yesterday, everyone had. She didn't think she wanted to go that far, but if she didn't, would she even have a chance with Tenchi? Ryoko wouldn't have any qualms about doing that, and Ayeka's prim attitude slipped whenever it involved Tenchi. Mihoshi never seemed to get hung up on doing anything, she just lived her life. Who knew what Sasami might do, all Tenchi's protests aside. Competing with them was going to be a challenge for Kiyone.

Just accepting that she wanted to compete had been tough enough for Kiyone, now she had to figure out what she was going to do. She didn't have much experience to draw on, she'd never really tried to attract anyone's attention before. Her few relationships had just happened, and then been over before she knew it. She'd always assumed that someday someone might chase after her, not the other way around.

Giving up on relaxing, Kiyone rinsed and dried off, then put on her clothes for the day. She'd decided on some pants made of a material somewhat like that of her GP uniform so that the effect would be similar, showing off her 'nice butt' as Mihoshi had so indelicately put it. She liked shirts that covered her arms, it usually hid the scars and the fact that she was quite muscular for a woman. That had led her to opt for a long-sleeved sweater. It was very short, however, leaving a glimpse of her stomach underneath and the excellently developed abdominal muscles she had. The underwear was small and lacy, though she wasn't planning on showing those off to anyone, except maybe a quick glimpse for Tenchi if she did things right.

Shopping for the outfit had been a nightmare in itself. When she'd heard Sasami was coming along with Mihoshi and herself, she'd hoped for a cool head to keep things simple. Sasami had ended up being even worse than Mihoshi, however. She'd obviously never shopped for any clothes of the sort they were looking for, and she'd caused all three to try on any number of outfits before they could all find what they were looking for. And the lingerie store had been absolutely awful. Some of the things she'd been forced to try on had done more than make her blush. She hadn't even been able to figure out how to put a couple of them on, and had been forced to let Sasami and Mihoshi help, to her absolute mortification.

She couldn't wait for practice this morning, not only so she could change back out of these clothes, but so she could exact some revenge on Mihoshi without being obvious about it. Actually, the clothes were pretty comfortable, but the knowledge of their purpose left her too self-conscious.

She left the onsen, and headed back to her room, this time giving Mihoshi a light kick to wake her up. She dumped her pajamas in the heap of dirty clothes.

As Mihoshi struggled into awareness Kiyone was forced to once again consider what she was doing. Mihoshi was wearing her usual bedtime clothes, the tiny black top and matching underwear. Her beauty was undeniable, and her figure was flawless. Even just waking up, her hair seemed to naturally fall back into place, only having that slightly mussed or windblown look which often seemed to be attractive to men. Kiyone's hair was usually just a snarled mess in the morning.

"Time to get up, sleepyhead. Breakfast will be ready soon, Sasami's sure to be fixing it by now. How a little girl can get up so early I'll never understand." Kiyone left Mihoshi to fend for herself at that point, and headed downstairs to face the day.

--

Tenchi awoke, and was pleased to note Ryoko wasn't hovering over his bed. Then he remembered Washu was sleeping on the futon right next to his bed. He quietly turned to look and see if she was there and encountered her smiling face and big eyes right before him. He jumped back in surprise.

"Waaugh! Washu, that's as bad as Ryoko. Umm, oh yeah, Young Washu."

"Good morning Tenchi. It's nice to see you, too. Did you sleep well? Any nice dreams of a certain red-headed scientist? Something kinda kinky, perhaps?"

"Hey, stop it now. Your day is over."

"We're still alone, and my day isn't over til..."

(KNOCK, KNOCK)

"Hello, breakfast is ready," Kiyone called from outside.

"Damn. Saved by the bell, handsome. Oh well, I guess I'm off then." Washu phased herself back to her child form with her usual non-revealing outfit, and headed out the door. Tenchi watched her go with a little relief and a little regret.

"Good morning Kiyone, not bad, not bad" said Washu on her way out, glancing at the outfit Kiyone was wearing.

"Good morning Little Washu," answered Kiyone with a mild blush. Then she poked her head inside the door to look for Tenchi. "Tenchi, are you ready, breakfast is done."

"Good morning Kiyone, just give me a second to throw some clothes on and clean up, and I'll be over there shortly. You don't have to wait."

"That's okay, Tenchi, I can wait." Kiyone was thinking to herself that she'd prefer not to be sitting at the table under the watchful gaze of all the other ladies right now. It would be easier to show up with Tenchi than to have to face them alone.

"All right then, just a moment."

Tenchi quickly pulled on a shirt and pants suitable for working in the fields, and walked out of his room to greet Kiyone. He froze momentarily upon seeing her, then forced himself to keep moving. She was dressed differently than usual, which he supposed shouldn't surprise him. He'd never expected Kiyone to do anything but her usual jeans and sweater. She had the sweater, it was white, but it was short and relatively tight. He admired the muscle development visible in her stomach without trying to be obvious about it. And the black spandex pants emphasized her long, muscular legs. It was a very attractive look for her. He tried to decide whether to compliment her or not, but she didn't give him a chance.

"Let's go then." And Kiyone was out the door.

Tenchi was left to follow along behind her, as she moved quickly back along the shore to his father's house. He admired the view while making the walk, the spandex pants hugging her backside tightly. She waited for him at the door instead of going in, though, and paced a little as she was waiting for him. He didn't think she'd caught him staring at her butt.

When he got there, she took a deep breath, and then went in, Tenchi right behind her. Everyone was at the table waiting, including Yosho who normally wasn't a regular for breakfast. Kiyone went to the leftmost of the two empty spots, leaving room for Tenchi between her and Funaho.

"Good morning everyone!"

"Good morning Tenchi!"

Tenchi sat down, smelling the wonderful breakfast Sasami had again prepared and everyone started eating.

Yosho asked nonchalantly, "So, how'd everything go last night, Tenchi?"

"Grandpa! Nothing happened, okay. We just talked and watched a movie, that's all."

"Yeah, he turned me down flat. He did kiss me though." Washu never even looked up as she said this, continuing on with her breakfast as if nothing happened. The hisses of everyone sucking in their breath were very loud.

"You kissed her? How could you, Tenchi?" Ryoko then phased away, disappearing from sight.

"You certainly didn't waste any time, did you Tenchi?" Ayeka stormed out with a loud "hmmph!"

Sasami rushed back into the kitchen with tears in her eyes, Kiyone just sat back in amazement. Ryo-Ohki looked around a bit, then hopped into the kitchen after Sasami. Mihoshi turned to Washu and said, "Wow, that's really great Little Washu. How was it? I hope I get a kiss from Tenchi on my day."

Tenchi buried his head in his hands, not believing what had just happened. How could he have kissed Washu? He should have known this would happen. He should have been smart enough not to kiss any of them until he'd figured out if he wanted a relationship with any of them.

"Well, honestly, it wasn't a terribly great kiss."

Tenchi's head sunk even lower. He thought it had been decent.

"I suspect Romeo here hasn't kissed too many girls in his life. He probably just needs a little practice." Washu glanced at Tenchi as she said this, smiling ruefully at his obvious dismay.

"Ooooh. I can do that. And it's your day today Kiyone, you can kiss him soon. You're so lucky. I don't know if I can wait..." Mihoshi's face was nearly glowing with her excitement.

"Shut up Mihoshi!" Kiyone's face had turned bright red, while Tenchi was slowly shaking his head back and forth on his arms which were flat on the table.

"Hmmm, I suppose we shouldn't be surprised he needs to work on his kissing." Yosho walked over and patted his grandson on the back. "Well, I'm back to the shrine, I have a couple coming in this morning. Have a good day. Especially you, Kiyone."

"Aargghh!" Kiyone buried her head similar to what Tenchi was doing.

Tenchi looked up as his grandfather walked out. He looked around at who was left at the table. He sighed, and then addressed everyone. "I never really meant to kiss anyone yet, it just kind of happened. I hope everyone can understand that? All right then, obviously I've screwed up here. Could I get some help from all of you to set things back in order? I've got to go to the fields, so I can't chase after all three of them to try and set things straight. Please don't be mad at me Little Washu, but that kiss didn't really mean anything, at least not in the way you might hope. It just kind of happened." Tenchi was rubbing the back of his head furiously, seeing the dangerous situation he'd put himself in. The look of hurt on Washu's face only made it worse.

"No, no, that's not quite right. I kissed you because I like you Little Washu, but it can't be more than that right now. Do you understand?" Tenchi was relieved to see the pain ease in Washu's eyes.

"Yes, I do Tenchi. I already told you I probably understand better than all the rest. I won't say it doesn't hurt a little, but I do understand. If you'll all excuse me, I have some work to do, I haven't been in my lab much recently."

Washu disappeared into her lab, leaving Tenchi with just Mihoshi, Kiyone, and the two queens. Misaki had a speculative look on her face and Funaho's almost looked like she was hiding a grin.

Finally, Misaki addressed him. "You should have known this would happen, of course. I also don't blame you, the way these ladies are throwing themselves at you." Kiyone's head hit her arms again. "We'll try and sort things out now, but you're going to have to work something out going forward as we won't keep doing this. Mihoshi, can you go talk to Sasami? I'll talk to Ryoko, and sister, will you talk to Ayeka please? Let's make them understand Tenchi hasn't made his choice yet and that they should stop moping. Honestly, children!"

"Thank you so much, Misaki, everyone. I'll try not to let you down again."

"Just remember, Tenchi, we may have to promise them something in return. You'd better be prepared to give them all a kiss." Funaho laughed with Misaki on her way out to find Ayeka. Mihoshi disappeared into the kitchen. Tenchi turned bright red.

"Well, I guess I need to get going. I'll see you later then, Kiyone"  
"Yeah I suppose so Tenchi. Mihoshi and I will be making a short patrol this morning, but I should hopefully be back by practice."

"Okay, bye."

--

Mihoshi entered the kitchen to see Sasami sitting on a stool with Ryo-Ohki on her lap. They were both crying.

"Sasami?" Sasami looked up at her. "Sasami? Are you okay? You know Tenchi hasn't really chosen Washu yet, right? He just kissed her, that's all."

Ryo-Ohki and Sasami finally stopped crying. Sasami sniffed a couple times before answering. "But... why did he kiss her if he didn't choose her? Tenchi wouldn't fool around like that."

"Well, I haven't talked to him or Washu about it yet, but I suspect he just felt it was the right thing to do. He apologized to all of us afterwards for making a mistake. He didn't want to hurt anyone, and he let Washu know that it wasn't anything more than a kiss because he liked her. I think he likes all of us, so we're probably all going to get a kiss from him eventually."

"R-really?"

"Uh-huh. In fact I know he's going to give me a kiss, I won't let him get away without one, now." Mihoshi's face had gotten a little mischievous look to it, and that brought out a grin on Sasami's face.

"I hope so. Thanks Mihoshi, you're a great friend. I wish I was older, it's not fair!"

Sasami and Mihoshi came together in a tremendous hug, poor Ryo-Ohki trapped in the middle. When they broke the hug, Ryo-Ohki collapsed to the ground, her eyes spinning dizzily.

"How long until it's my turn?"

--

Funaho found Ayeka where she'd expected to, tending to the little sapling Ryu-Oh. She'd always run to the tree when she was younger and something upset her. That seemed to happen fairly often around Tenchi, she let her emotions get the better of her where he was concerned.

She approached slowly, and watched happily as Ayeka repacked the soil around Ryu-Oh properly, and then watered the ground. She knew the proper way to tend a tree in its growth obviously. Tending to her own heart was not something she'd gotten a knack for yet.

"Ayeka? Can we talk?"

"Aunt Funaho. This is a surprise. I expected my mother to come scold me for being immature."

"I think that's why she asked me to come. She knew that's what she would have done. You are being a bit immature you know. Tenchi kissed Washu, he hasn't cast you out of his life yet."

Ayeka sighed. How could anyone possibly understand? "That may be, but that doesn't change the fact that he kissed her first. How would you feel?"

"Perhaps your mother should have come to talk to you. How do you think she felt? She was engaged to your father when I returned with him from earth. Suddenly she was not going to be first wife, I was. Consider that for a moment. You have to deal with the fact that Tenchi kissed another woman. By the time she got married, your mother had to accept that her husband-to-be was already married and obviously doing more than just kissing another woman."

Funaho turned away and then looked up into the sky. "And how do you think I felt when I learned I wasn't considered good enough to be his only wife, that my son was considered a half-breed? I also had to accept sharing my husband, the man I loved, with her. Do you honestly think I accepted that gracefully?"

Ayeka had looked up from her work, and she set down the watering pot. She couldn't imagine what that might have been like. She'd never really talked with Funaho or her mother about it before. She'd asked her father about it once, and he had gruffly responded that it had been a necessary act. And in one of his rare instances of displaying true emotion in her presence, Azusa had asked her never to talk to either of them about it, as it brought them both painful memories. She had promised him never to ask them.

Here now, because of her childishness, her Aunt had been forced to open up some of her most painful memories to try and show Ayeka the error of her ways. Ayeka felt small and ashamed of her actions.

She ran to Funaho, and embraced her in a hug. She didn't squeeze like her mother did, but just held Funaho. "I'm so sorry, Aunt, I shouldn't have put you through that. I am being childish, and I am truly sorry. Please forgive me."

Funaho just enjoyed the embrace for a time. She kept those memories buried deep, but it felt a little refreshing to share them finally. After a while she said, "I forgive you Ayeka. You were hurt, it's only natural to retreat from something that causes us pain. But you will have to face this, you know. It's either that or give up on Tenchi."

Ayeka stiffened, then her face hardened into a look of determination. "I will never give up on Lord Tenchi. I can't lose him, I just can't."

"That's a good attitude, Ayeka, but you could lose him eventually regardless of what you do now. Or perhaps you'll find you have to share him. Are you sure you want to risk that?"

Ayeka rocked as if struck by a blow. Losing Tenchi would cause her unimaginable pain. She'd thought she'd felt that once over Yosho, only to realize that she'd been chasing a dream. Tenchi was not just a dream to her now. She'd gotten to know him in ways she'd never known Yosho. Would sharing him with another be better than losing him altogether?

"All I can do is try. Tsunami willing, I'll realize my dreams in the end."

"Asking Tsunami for help in this matter might not get you very far, Ayeka. She's more likely to be in Sasami's corner than your own if you think about it."

Ayeka sighed again. It was hard enough to think of her sister as a rival for Tenchi, let alone to think that her goddess who was supposed to be her and every other Juraian's protector would actively work against her.

"You may be right. Come what may, all I can do is try."

--

Misaki finally found Ryoko, soaking in the onsen, as usual with a few empty bottles of sake nearby. Misaki frowned, she didn't really approve of the heavy drinking Ryoko did, which seemed to have rubbed off onto her daughter Ayeka.

She sat down near the edge of the water and watched Ryoko for a moment. She knew that Ryoko knew she was there, even though Ryoko hadn't looked at her yet. The silence went on for a while, before finally Ryoko felt compelled to break it.

"So how come you're here and not talking to your daughters? I would've thought you'd go to them to encourage them to fight for Tenchi, not me. I know you want one of them to get him in the end."

Misaki gave her a quizzical look, Ryoko had disappeared before she could have known that Ayeka and Sasami had stormed off as well. She presumed Ryoko must have read Ryo-Ohki's mind to get that information then. "I left my daughters in the capable hands of others in the house. I felt I should perhaps talk to you. I thought you might benefit most from my wisdom in this situation, not my daughters."

"You're going to pass on your wisdom, huh? My moth... Washu tries to do that from time to time too, and it's usually a bunch of baloney. She thinks because she can read my mind that she can somehow give me advice on how I should be living my life. You don't even have that, how could you possibly give me advice?"

Misaki had to suppress her smile. Every girl who'd ever lived probably thought that their mother couldn't possibly understand what they were going through. She'd thought the same thing of her mother when she was younger. And then, once you had a daughter you were forced to endure the same treatment you'd inflicted on your mother. It was one of the universe's grand jokes in Misaki's opinion.

"You, perhaps more than anyone I've ever met, could benefit most from a mother's opinion. You had no mother in your life, and were forced to grow up with only Kagato as an authority figure."

"I don't need this. Take your nonsense and send it someone else's way."

"Sit down Ryoko! I'm here at Tenchi's request and you will listen to what I have to say, do we understand each other?" Ryoko sank back down, cowed by Misaki's commanding presence. "Good, now, as I was saying, growing up that way didn't give you the experiences most people have, and probably left you feeling abandoned, am I correct?"

She received a glare from Ryoko, and continued. "You never had your mother around when you needed her most. And I'll assume your feelings of abandonment did not improve when our Yosho sealed you in that cave. When Tenchi finally came round and you discovered he could sense you, and then finally he released you, its perfectly understandable why you fell in love with him. You'd never had any companionship in your life before."

Ryoko could only agree with what Misaki had to say, but refused to admit it. Misaki continued on, "And after only having Tenchi for a very short time, suddenly Ayeka comes into your life, and then Mihoshi, and finally your mother, Washu. All of them are interested in 'your' Tenchi. It must be incredibly difficult to accept that. With your power and reputation, it's amazing you've shown the restraint you have. Restraint being a relative term, of course, from all the reported damage the house has taken."

Misaki smiled as she saw the blush rise in Ryoko's cheeks. She knew she had her, if she could feel embarrassment instead of anger. "So now the question is this: Are you giving up on Tenchi because he kissed Washu? That doesn't seem like you at all."

Ryoko lifted her face, and the resolve was clear. "Of course not. But why'd he have to kiss HER? I think I'd have rather he kissed Ayeka than her. She's my mother after all. How can she do that to me?"

"I think if you asked her to, honestly asked her to, she would give up on Tenchi for you. She loves you, even if it's hard to see behind her odd 'scientific genius' personality. She regrets not being there for you when you needed it, and she knows she can't just become the mother you never had overnight."

"How would you know?"

"Because I'm a mother, and I can see that she is too, that's how. It's the little things that you probably never notice. She flinches whenever she sees you and Ayeka fight. She watches you whenever you disappear, keeping an eye out for you as long as she possibly can. It's hard to hide the feelings we feel to want to protect our children. She disguises them pretty well, but she can't hide them completely, not from someone who's already experienced what she is currently."

Ryoko held her head low, not wanting to look at Misaki at the moment. It all made sense, she just didn't like to think of Washu as her mother. She knew it wasn't really Washu's fault, but Misaki was right, she'd felt abandoned, and suddenly having Washu appear, announcing she was Ryoko's mother was very upsetting in its own way.

"So why, if she loves me so much, is she trying to steal my Tenchi?"

"That's the problem, isn't it? The answer is both simple and complex to coin an overused phrase. The simple answer is because she's in love with him. But it's complex because you have to consider what that really means. She was married once, and had her family torn away from her. After that, she closed herself off from those emotions, intending never to risk that loss again. Then Kagato forces her to create him a weapon of immense power, and what does she do, she creates you, her daughter. I suspect that's what caused her to be able to even fall in love with Tenchi."

"Huh? What the heck does that mean?"

"When she created you, she opened herself up to feeling strong emotions for someone again. If she'd just given Kagato a super weapon, a super powerful laser or some such, capable of destroying ships and planets, she would still have had her barriers up, and if Tenchi had happened to rescue her as he did with those barriers still up, she might not have fallen in love with him. This is all hypothetical conjecture on my part of course."

Ryoko took a few moments to mull over the new thoughts running rampant in her mind. Finally, she answered, "So, she's in love with him because of me, then. And she loves me, and knows I love him too, so she wants me to be happy and be with him, but she wants to be happy with him, too. It's no wonder she's insane."

Misaki finally relaxed, allowing herself to smile. "In essence, yes. Imagine how hard it would be for her to suddenly find herself in love again after almost 20,000 years, and be put in a situation where she should give that up right away for someone else's benefit. It's got to be terribly painful trying to balance her love for you and her love for Tenchi. It's nice to see you understand what she must be experiencing. Just don't tell her I agreed with the insane part, okay?"

"I'll have to consider that. You can never have too many favors owed you. I suppose we should go back and rejoin the rest, huh?" Ryoko teleported out of the water, leaving herself completely dry and proceeded to phase one of her simple dresses, her favorite with the cat tail, onto herself. She turned back to Misaki, and froze like a deer caught in the headlights of an oncoming vehicle. Misaki was now looking at her with those glistening eyes, which were a prelude to one of her superhugs.

"Oh, I'm so proud of you Ryoko!" Misaki threw herself at Ryoko, and wrapped her arms, squeezing for all she was worth. Ryoko finally got concerned a few of her ribs were going to crack, and teleported out of Misaki's grasp. Misaki stumbled forward and would have fallen into the water if Ryoko hadn't caught her by the arm.

"Sorry about that. My ribs were going to burst. What? Oh all right, go ahead." Ryoko suffered a new hug from Misaki, barely any better than the last one she'd been forced to escape from. Finally Misaki let her go, and they turned to walk out of the onsen.

"We should get going. I need to prepare some lessons for martial practice today, and I believe Funaho has some other plans for this morning. Perhaps I can give Yosho the full beating he deserves today."

"Hey, wait a minute. How come I had to do a thousand pushups for saying he deserved a beating?"

Misaki turned her slightly-bulging eyed stare on Ryoko who flinched backwards from it. "Because I am the master and you are the student, right? I thought so." Her face broke back into her usual smile again as she led Ryoko back to the house.

--

Funaho faced all the ladies from the Masaki household as they sat in their seats. Even Kiyone and Mihoshi were looking back, Washu had rigged up a connection between Yukinojo and the current location within her lab, since patrol duty really just meant cruising around while Yukinojo monitored for any unusual activity. She waited for the general chitchat to come to a stop, and addressed everyone.

"Okay, ladies. I assume you're all wondering why I brought you here, and why I needed to use one of Washu's classrooms. So let's start with a question. Do you truly want to get involved with Tenchi?"

Six heads nodded, along with various calls of "yes" and "of course".

"So, you think you might like to spend the rest of your life with him?"

Again, all the heads nodded, though she mostly got puzzled looks this time.

"Fine, then. Have you given thought to what that really means, spending the rest of your life with Tenchi. With a prince of the Juraian royal family. Likely to be the crown prince if my stubborn son gets his way. Spending the rest of your life with the person who quite likely will become the next King of Jurai. Have you really thought about that?"

This time she received mostly blank stares and shaking heads, though surprisingly Washu nodded along with Ayeka.

"Well let's start with a few of the things that means. Should you become his wife, certain expectations will be placed on you. You will be expected to act a certain way, dress a certain way, and have knowledge of the history of the culture to which you will then belong."

She sensed the nervous buzz in the room, though Ayeka's face was now beaming. Washu seemed to be bored, and Mihoshi was nodding. Sasami just had her eyebrows furrowed in concentration, and Ryoko looked puzzled. Kiyone just looked horrified.

"Well, assuming you still wish to continue in your pursuit of my great-grandson, I will now be instructing all of you in those things which you will need to know should you manage to become his wife."

Kiyone buried her face in her arms. Things just kept getting worse, this was quite probably the stupidest possible relationship she could ever get herself into. Dating someone who, if she should happen to be successful, would pretty much ruin her chosen life just because of who he was. Why did he have to be such a good guy?

"Are we all ready to begin?"

Receiving an enthusiastic nod from Ayeka, and half-hearted nods from everyone else, Funaho started her lecture.

"Today, we'll start with some basic Juraian history, and a little detail into the power structure through which Jurai is ruled..."

Kiyone picked her head up, wishing beyond hope that something might actually happen on this patrol to get her out of the lessons. She wasn't the type to give up once she'd set her mind to it, but this was not in her list of things she wanted to do for the sake of a man. Realizing Funaho had already started, Kiyone quickly pulled over a pad, and started scribbling down notes as Funaho talked. A glance at Mihoshi showed her that her blonde partner was not taking notes, but just listening intently. That was Mihoshi for you.

Funaho talked for a while, and everyone paid attention in their own way. In Ryoko's case, that meant not paying attention at all. Up until the moment Misaki swatted her hand with a ruler from behind, that was.

"Yoooooowwwwwwww! What was that for?" Ryoko rubbed her injured hand as she jumped to her feet, barely restraining herself from flinging energy balls in Misaki's direction.

Misaki relaxed from the stance she'd taken when Ryoko had looked like she might actually attack her. "I strongly recommend that you pay attention Ryoko. We will be testing you on this, eventually, and if you should happen to not pass our tests, we will have no choice but to withhold our support for your possible union with Tenchi."

"What? Bah, why do I care about you any way. When Tenchi picks me, who cares what you think?"

"The Juraian Ruling Council does, along with the Cabinet and House of Lords. All of them can make it quite difficult for Tenchi to choose his wife should they decide to oppose his choice."

"So? We'll just run away together, and screw Jurai."

"Ryoko! You won't get another warning for talking about Jurai that way." Funaho now joined the conversation, and Misaki retreated to her position at the back of the classroom. "There's one thing you should think about before taking that attitude."

"Yeah, what's that?"

"Tenchi."

"Huh? Tenchi how?"

"Think about who Tenchi is for a moment. How likely do you think it is that Tenchi would go against his duty?"

Ryoko fell silent, realizing the import of Funaho's statement. Tenchi took his responsibilities seriously. Too seriously for Ryoko's comfort. She'd never had any responsibilities outside of carrying out Kagato's missions.

"Maybe he would..."

"That's a chance you'll have to take if you don't want to participate here, Ryoko. I won't force you, but you should understand what it means if you don't."

Ayeka smugly said, "Go ahead and leave Ryoko. This is all likely to be too confusing for a lowbrow space pirate such as yourself, any way."

(CRACK)

"Ooooooooowwwwwwwww!"

Misaki glared at her oldest daughter after using the ruler. "For shame, Ayeka. Taunting is unbecoming someone of royal blood."

Ayeka blushed crimson in embarrassment, and bowed her head. "Yes, mother. I'm sorry Ryoko."

"Bah, I'll show you. I'll show all of you. We'll see who gets Tenchi in the end. Fine, bring it on Funaho." Ryoko sat down and opened the notebook which was on the desk in front of her. She picked up the pen, and scribbled down a couple of the things she actually remembered Funaho saying.

Funaho nodded, and returned to the front of the classroom. "Good. Well, then. Continuing on, the King is not really a monarch in the strictest sense..."

--

Kiyone was watching Tenchi and Yosho warm up with their practice swords, wondering if anyone else was going to even show up for practice. She felt more relaxed in the workout clothes than the outfit she had been wearing, but unless anyone else showed up, it would have been a waste of time to even bother. She was half tempted to ask if she could join Tenchi and Yosho and practice with a sword, just to relieve the boredom. Finally she saw Sasami and Mihoshi approaching in their workout clothes, and eventually everyone but Washu showed up, and they moved into practice as usual.

Apparently they had all managed to put their feelings from this morning aside. Everyone acted normally, as if nothing had happened. The only hiccup came when Misaki tried to convince Yosho he should spar with her again, which he politely refused pointing out that he and Tenchi were practicing with their swords. Once he finished his practice with Tenchi, Yosho left rather than remaining to practice under Misaki's instruction.

So Misaki ran practice, and everyone suffered under her harsh judgment, but at the end everyone knew they were better for it. Ayeka was finally making significant progress, having quickly shot back past Sasami in ability and was giving Mihoshi a run for her money. Kiyone and Ryoko were nearly evenly matched, Ryoko's inhuman strength being about the only advantage she had.

After an enjoyable practice for all, they headed back for the house to relax for a while before lunch. Mihoshi sidled up to Kiyone on the walk and leaned in close to whisper, "Too bad you couldn't spar with Tenchi. I kinda figured since Washu got to yesterday we'd all get to when it was our turn. I guess Misaki had other plans, though."

"It really doesn't matter to me whether I spar with Tenchi or not, Mihoshi. That's hardly the most romantic thing we could be doing after all."

"Oh, I know, you're right Kiyone. It's not the sparring itself, though. Think of the great opportunity you'd have to lay your hands on him, or maybe fall into his arms that way."

"You've given this some thought, I see. You haven't happened to fall into his arms by slightly less than an accident ever have you?"

With a blush, Mihoshi answered, "Well... it's usually by accident, but once or twice, maybe."

Kiyone was shocked, she'd actually not thought Mihoshi would do something like that. "Mihoshi! That's so dishonest."

"But Kiyone," Mihoshi whined, "I have to do something to make sure Tenchi remembers me, with Ryoko and Ayeka always hanging on his arms."

"Yeah, I suppose it is hard to get a break between those two and Tenchi. It's all right Mihoshi, your secret is safe with me."

"Thanks Kiyone. You're the best."

--

When Tenchi finally reached the bottom of the stairs for lunch, everyone but his grandfather was there. There was an air of tension, but there didn't seem to be any animosity between any of the ladies, more an air of expectation.

"Hello everyone. How are you?"

At the silence he got as a response, Tenchi realized they had made some kind of agreement to wait for Tenchi to explain himself. He took a deep breath as he scratched his head and dove in as best he could.

"Well obviously it's now my time to do some explaining to everyone. First off let me say that I'm sorry to all of you who were hurt by me kissing Wa..., uh, I guess it's Little Washu. It was a moment that felt right to kiss her, but it doesn't really mean anything more than that I like her and I felt an urge to kiss her that I let happen. It doesn't mean I like her any more than any of the rest of you. Okay?"

(SILENCE)

Tenchi sighed. "Apparently that's not good enough, then. What did they promise to get everyone back together again?" Tenchi's eyes flicked to the queens as he said this, but he got no clues from their stony-eyed stares. "Right, I suppose they promised all of you that you'd each get a kiss from me. Fine, you'll each get a kiss on your day, this first time any way. All right?"

(SILENCE)

Tenchi noticed a few twitches from some of them, like they were reacting to what he'd said, but he still didn't get an answer from anyone. With another deep breath, Tenchi said. "Obviously I'm not getting anywhere with this. So, please tell me, what can I do to get all of you to forgive me?"

With that, everyone's face broke into a smile with that, and it was Funaho who answered, "All you had to do was ask."

Ryoko and Ayeka were excitedly exclaiming to each other "I get a kiss from Tenchi!" Mihoshi and Sasami were sharing a smile for some reason. Kiyone, back in her more revealing clothes walked up to Tenchi and pulled him by the arm to the table. She whispered in his ear "I'll let you save that kiss til tonight."

Tenchi blushed furiously, but as he watched the happy looks of surprise on the faces around him, he turned to Funaho and exclaimed, "You tricked me. You made me think you'd promised each a kiss to be fair, and you didn't."

Funaho answered, "You tricked yourself Tenchi. I never made any claims we would do so, just that we might have to. You got yourself into this. Besides, you admit it's fair, what's wrong with kissing a few pretty ladies?"

"Well, it's not that I don't want to, I guess, I... well, I suppose it is fair." Tenchi had seen the looks of concern coming over everyone as he tried to worm his way out of his promise. He decided he'd be better off keeping his word. He'd feel better, and it might be nice to get to kiss a few ladies finally.

As they started eating finally, Washu asked "I get an extra kiss, right? That one I got the other night hardly qualifies as a real kiss after all, it was kind of like getting hit by a water balloon." Tenchi turned bright red again, and buried his face in his hands.

This touched off the inevitable objections from everyone else about being unfair, forcing a ruling by the two queens. Misaki announced their decision. "We've determined that Little Washu will be allowed the extra kiss on her next turn, due to the circumstances. Since most of you ladies are likely to get a kiss more suitable than that which she received, it seems fair. Knowing most of you, it's unlikely Tenchi will escape with just a single kiss from each of you any way, so to be fair, Little Washu should get equal opportunity."

"Yeah! I knew I liked you two."

Ryoko and Ayeka wanted to protest, but arguing with Misaki was not a prospect they looked forward to. They resigned themselves to it, and ate their lunch quietly, thinking about the fact that they would finally get to kiss Tenchi, regardless. Everyone else seemed to accept the decision gracefully, excepting Tenchi.

Funaho further clarified for everyone as she saw the glum looks still on Ryoko's and Ayeka's faces. "This does not prevent any of you from earning your own additional kisses, of course. It just guarantees Little Washu a more worthy kiss."

Tenchi asked, "Umm, do I get any say in this?"

Eight pairs of eyes turned to regard him coolly.

"Heh, heh. Right." --

Late that afternoon, as Tenchi was studying with his grandfather, the ladies of the house split up to do their own things. Ayeka went back to finish tending to Ryu-Oh, Sasami and Mihoshi raided the house collection of manga. The queens set about authoring a message to send back to Jurai reporting on the current status of events on Earth. Washu continued working in her lab, and Kiyone fretted about what she was going to do later that night. After a while, she again changed clothes and went for a run in the hills, hoping to work off her tension.

Ryoko, on the other hand, was busily making plans, since her turn started on the next day. Ryo-Ohki was tagging along with Ryoko, not being interested in lying around with Sasami while she read comics.

"So, what do you think, Ryo-Ohki? How do I look?"

"Miya!"

"You think so? I like it too, but how about this one?"

Ryoko changed her clothes from the hot pants and halter top to a red dress cut very low in front and back and very high on the sides.

"Miya! Miya!"

"Yeah, it's probably better, you're right. What about this?"

Ryoko again changed her clothes, this time to a schoolgirl type outfit with a tiny skirt and a long-sleeved blouse with a tie.

"Miya, mreowr."

"No? Hmmm, how about this then?"

Her clothes again changed, this time to a formal kimono with the sleeves missing.

"Miya?"

"Yeah, I know, it's not really sexy like the others, but Tenchi seems to like this look. I can hit him with some sex appeal in other ways if I have to.

"Miya!"

"Yeah, I think so too. I'm going with this look for most of the day. I might bring out that dress when I'm alone with him tomorrow night. Or I might just get rid of everything and skip right to the good part. If I can get him to kiss me without any clothes on, who knows what might happen?"

Ryo-Ohki's cheeks turned red with embarrassment, but Ryoko never noticed, caught up in her dreams of what she would do to Tenchi if he let her. After letting her dreams run their course, Ryoko decided a bath was in order. "Come on furball, let's go hit the onsen. I hear a sake bottle calling for me."

"Miya?"

"It's never to early for sake, what are you talking about?"

"Miya, miya, miya."

"Hmm, you're right, Tenchi doesn't really like it when I drink. It's not my day today, so I can probably get away with it, but you're right, no sake tomorrow. Let's go."

--

Kiyone got back from her run, exhausted but feeling good, regardless. She hated to sit around idly, and the run had given her something constructive to do. She'd even had a chance to think about her problems regarding Tenchi.

She grabbed her revealing outfit, and headed for the onsen, needing to clean up after her run. It wouldn't do to be sweaty and smelly for the rest of the day.

She arrived at the onsen, only to see Ryoko playing with a completely drenched Ryo-Ohki. Some empty sake bottles lined the edge of the water, so obviously Ryoko had been drinking. Kiyone supposed if she had a tolerance for alcohol like Ryoko's, she might drink more often, too. But she didn't like to risk being in a situation where she was caught unprepared, and drinking did that to you. She only drank rarely and sparingly except when she was off-duty or on leave. She purposefully tried to forget the few benders with Mihoshi back in their earlier days, after breaking a big case, or trying to recover from one of Mihoshi's screwups.

The notion of spending time alone with Ryoko wasn't terribly appealing to Kiyone, but she didn't have much choice if she wanted to clean up before Tenchi got back from studying. There had been an almost instantaneous feeling of rivalry between Ryoko and herself, due to Ryoko's past and Kiyone's current careers. Plus Ryoko was extremely jealous where Tenchi was concerned.

Kiyone dropped the clothes she'd brought along, stripped out of her sodden running suit, and walked over to the water.

"Miya," Ryo-Ohki greeted her.

"Hi, Ryo-Ohki. Looks like you're having fun. Hello Ryoko." Kiyone slipped into the water, enjoying the warmth as it eased her tired muscles.

"Hi Kiyone."

A few minutes passed in silence, neither Ryoko nor Kiyone particularly motivated to start a conversation. After a bit Ryo-Ohki tired of just sitting and did a running belly-flop into the water. Both Ryoko and Kiyone burst out laughing.

"You've gotta work on that one Ryo-Ohki." Ryoko pulled the nearly unconscious Ryo-Ohki over to the edge of the pool. Ryo-Ohki struggled back out of the water, and rolled over onto her back to rest her stinging stomach.

"Does she do that often?" Kiyone asked.

"Nah. I suckered her into it earlier by giving her some sake. Apparently she already forgot what it felt like the last time."

"You give her sake? Isn't she a little small for that?"

"Small is kind of relative with Ryo-Ohki. After all, she's also a spaceship in addition to her human sized forms."

"I suppose, but isn't she kind of young, then?"

"That would depend on your perspective. In terms of human years, she would be, but in cabbit years, she's already fully developed."

"I see. I'm not real familiar with cabbits, I guess." It still seemed strange to Kiyone, but she assumed Ryoko knew more about it than she did.

The silence again stretched out for a time, neither knowing what to say. Eventually Ryoko managed to put words around what she was thinking. "So, do you have any special plans for your time with Tenchi tonight?"

Kiyone had been dreading this part of the conversation, but it had seemed inevitable when she walked in on Ryoko. "Not really, no. I think I'd mostly like to sit and talk with him a little. I haven't really known him for very long, so there's a lot of stuff the rest of you probably already know about him that I don't."

"Yeah, that's probably true. So how come you're doing this then? Did you really fall for him that fast? You don't seem like the type. I mean, I know he's the greatest guy out there, but it doesn't seem like you to fall for a guy just by looking at him."

"Well, you're mostly right. I don't normally fall for a guy at all, but when I do, it's been pretty spontaneous. Close quarters and such cause some things to happen that might not otherwise. In a lot of ways, this is Mihoshi's fault. I don't think I would have let things get this far if Mihoshi hadn't been pushing me to it all the time. I probably should have stomped on it right away, but Mihoshi is so persistent sometimes, that you almost feel bad when you try and set her straight. I let this get out of hand, and now I realize that Tenchi seems to be a pretty special guy. I don't really expect him to choose me in the end, but I think I'll enjoy spending some time with him until he finally makes up his mind."

"He is pretty special, there's no doubt about that. And you can blame Mihoshi if you want, but I could tell you liked him right away. Heck, all of us did, that's nothing to be ashamed of. I wish I knew what it was about him that attracted everyone. Maybe I could do something to turn it off for everyone else."

"So when did you know you'd fallen for him, then?"

"Well, it's a little hard to say for sure. I got to watch him growing up, sort of any way. I felt something for him the moment I realized he could sense my spirit as I slipped out of the cave that way. You probably couldn't say I'd fallen for him yet at that point, but the seeds were there. Until he freed me from the cave, I barely let myself dream that way, so I suppose it really happened that day. I've been in love with him from that moment."

"I just can't imagine what your life has been like. You must be pretty thankful to have something like Tenchi in your life now, compared to what you had in the past. How do you handle it, having to fight with all of us for him? I don't know if I can do it, at least and try to still be friends with everyone."

"Well, I'm not sure you'd call me 'friends' with anyone here. Forced acquaintances is more accurate. I don't necessarily dislike any of you, but none of you is exactly my kind of person, no offense. Ayeka's too prissy, Mihoshi's too ditzy, Sasami's too young, and you're too honorable. I don't even want to talk about my... about Washu. She's just plain crazy."

"She's definitely unique, there's no doubt about that." Kiyone had noticed how she almost called Washu her mother. Obviously Ryoko was still struggling to come to grips with her relationship with Washu. Kiyone didn't want to get involved in another touchy relationship here on Earth, though, one was enough. She also didn't feel like questioning Ryoko on her stance that she wasn't friends with anyone here. She let it slide, and relaxed in silence for a while longer. Finally, a question occurred to her.

"So, do you have any special plans for your day then, Ryoko?"

"Yeah." Ryoko glanced at her through slitted eyelids, wondering if Kiyone might be fishing for her own ideas. But even if she was, she couldn't steal her plan. "Actually, I wanted to go flying with Tenchi. I mean, I've flown him around a little bit every once in a while, but I want to really go flying, take him up to the clouds and all over."

"Wow. I always forget you can do that. That'd be pretty cool, I'm sure he'll enjoy that. I can't do anything like that for him. Sasami can cook, you can fly him around, Washu can build him stuff, and Ayeka's a princess, well I guess so is Sasami and she's going to merge with a goddess soon. I'm just so ordinary compared to the rest of you. Even Mihoshi has her sweet personality and her incredible looks..."

Ryoko was tempted to agree with Kiyone, and urge her to back off and forget about Tenchi. At the same time, she felt for Kiyone. She debated with herself for a while, trying to decide if she would say anything. It really wasn't fair, all she wanted was to get Tenchi, and now again she felt herself compelled to help one of her competitors, just like she had Ayeka a few days ago.

"Have you considered that maybe Tenchi likes 'ordinary' girls?"

"Hmmm? Why would he, when he's got so much to choose from?"

"Because he's Tenchi, that's why. He's perhaps the most powerful person in the universe, who else can make the Lighthawk Wings? And yet here he is living a simple life on earth, trying to be nobody."

Kiyone looked up at that, giving it consideration. He was very humble, you couldn't question that. Was he perhaps frightened of the incredible powers and personalities of the other ladies?

"And how ordinary are you really. You're very good looking, Kiyone, you know that. Not as good-looking as me, of course, but still pretty." Ryoko winked at Kiyone. "I'm sure Tenchi has noticed. You're also one of the best officers in the Galaxy Police if what blondie says is true. I've sparred with you, you're one of the best fighters I've ever faced, and I've faced some good ones. That's hardly ordinary. That hair of yours certainly doesn't qualify as ordinary either, at least not for this planet."

Ryoko took a deep breath. She'd done it again. Why couldn't she just be selfish and stop helping everyone? She hadn't used to be so nice. "Feel free to drop out, less competition won't bother me. You're selling yourself short, though, if you do."

"Thanks, Ryoko. I know you're just trying to make me feel better, and I appreciate it. Tenchi'll be lucky if he picks you."

"You're damn right he will! He could do worse than you, too. Like Ayeka."

--

Sasami stood in the kitchen where she'd gone to start cooking dinner. And she just stood there, not moving, staring at the sink as if she saw something reflecting from the basin which was fascinating. In reality, she wasn't seeing the sink at all.

The signals reaching Sasami's brain were certainly fascinating. Her consciousness was currently riding along with Tsunami, traveling through space. This was the first time Sasami had experienced this, previously she'd only gotten glimpses of memories, never actually experiencing anything along with Tsunami in real-time. The feeling was indescribably enjoyable.

She'd traveled through space before, of course, so the sights weren't all that unusual. She was a little surprised at how natural it felt to actually feel like a part of the ship, however, not just a passenger. She could feel the energy as it was given off by Tsunami to push the ship through space, and it was strange, but exhilarating at the same time. Her consciousness moved out from the ship, she could feel everything in the immediate vicinity, tiny particles, and larger objects as well. A few parsecs away a couple of strange ships were engaged in combat. Sasami didn't recognize their design, but she'd never really paid much attention to what kinds of ships different civilizations had.

She also didn't recognize where in space Tsunami was, but she could tell that Tsunami did. She couldn't quite figure out why Tsunami was there, though. But then Sasami hadn't really learned to understand Tsunami's motivations, yet. It had to be easier for Tsunami to understand her than the other way around, right?

Suddenly, from out of nowhere, numerous ships started appearing, similar to one of those that had been battling nearby. Sasami could feel the satisfaction from Tsunami as they appeared. That didn't make sense to Sasami, as it was clear that the new ships were there with hostile intent, and a large number of them were coming straight for Tsunami. And for some reason, Tsunami was making no attempt to get away. Instead, Sasami felt Tsunami start creating a new kind of energy...

Ten Lighthawk Wings sprung forth from Tsunami, and at the very same moment, Sasami collapsed to her knees in the kitchen of the Masaki house, sweat breaking out on her brow. Tsunami used the Lighthawk Wings defensively, blocking everything the attacking ships threw at her. In the kitchen, Sasami trembled, feeling the impacts of the energy bolts being thrown at Tsunami, and also at the tremendous, strange energy being used to create the Lighthawk Wings.

The Wings rotated in space, faster than the eye could follow, again and again blocking each energy blast. Sasami struggled to keep her focus, getting dizzy with the strain of keeping the Lighthawk Wings in place. Just as Sasami was about to pass out, Tsunami started moving, quickly outdistancing the attacking ships. The strain eased as Tsunami let the Lighthawk Wings disappear. Sasami collapsed to the floor, her chest heaving as she labored for breath, but the dizziness was gone.

Then Tsunami made the transition to faster-than-light, breaking Sasami's connection. Just before she lost contact, though, she heard Tsunami in her mind say, "I'm sorry Sasami. You have to learn quickly."

--

Washu walked out of her lab and headed for the kitchen to get a snack. She stepped inside to see Sasami collapsed on the floor, her breathing labored. Sasami looked up as Washu burst through the door.

"Are you all right"  
"I'm okay."

Washu and Sasami both talked at the same time. Washu relaxed as she heard this. Sasami smiled to make sure Washu knew she really was OK.

"Little Washu, it was Tsunami. I was experiencing the same thing as Tsunami, and she created her ten Lighthawk Wings to fight off some spaceships. She's fine, of course, but it took a lot out of me."

"I see. Did you know this was going to happen?"

"N-no, not really. At first, I was just kind of riding along with her as part of the tree ship, feeling what she feels. Then ships attacked... we made Lighthawk Wings... I can't really explain it."

"What??!! Back up. You were drawing the energy for the Lighthawk Wings? I thought you said Tsunami did that."

"Well, I guess we both were. It was kind of hard to think of us as being separate at the time, I was feeling everything she did."

Washu paused for a moment, obviously in thought. Then she continued her questioning. "Have you ever done this before? Experienced what Tsunami was experiencing?"

"No, this is the first time. I get more and more flashes of memories I don't think are mine all the time, now, but I've never been 'with' Tsunami before if you can follow that."

"I think so. So you felt how to create the Lighthawk Wings, then? Could you create them now, if you wanted to?" Washu was getting excited. All this time, she'd been hoping to get the answer out of Tenchi, now she might get it from Sasami instead. Either way, the knowledge would be incredible.

"Well, not exactly. I think I remember how to do it, but I don't have access to the energy to do it right now. I don't think I will until I've finished merging with Tsunami. I'm sorry, Little Washu, I know you really want to know how. I can't help you with that"  
"Well, even if you describe how you think it's done, it might help me, and maybe it would help Tenchi get over his problem, too. I'll definitely want to talk to you about this more. Did you get any warning of what was going to happen, I mean did Tsunami tell you she was going to do that?"

"No, I just came into the kitchen to work on dinner and all of a sudden it flashed into my head, or my brain, or something. Tsunami seemed to be expecting what happened, though, and she apologized afterwards."

"Hmmm. That's interesting. What exactly did she say?"

"I think it was 'I'm sorry Sasami. You have to learn quickly.' Yeah, that's it."

"Learn quickly? Hmmm... This might be part of why you're growing so fast. I wonder if she's not pushing you to finish the merge soon so you'll be ready for something big that's going to happen. I don't suppose there's any chance we could talk to her?"

"I haven't heard anything from her in a long time, except for just now. I'm sorry, Little Washu, she hasn't been answering me."

"Damn it! I hate it when I don't know what's going on. Well, are you feeling all right now?

"Yeah, I feel a lot better. I really should get to work on dinner, though, I'm behind already."

"Don't worry about it, I'll help you. I hope you don't mind, but I think I want to spend some more time near you for a while, in case anything else happens. I'd like to be able to get some more specific data when something like this happens again, if it does that is."

"Ummm, okay. If you really want to I guess. I told you, I'm fine, though. Thanks for the help with dinner."

Sasami turned back to the counter, pulling out what she was going to need, and issuing instructions on what she wanted Washu to do. She hoped Washu didn't get too concerned over this. While it had been a really unusual experience for Sasami, nothing about it had felt wrong. It was like she was just getting used to swimming in water for the first time. It felt a little strange, but it was fun all the same.

--

An eventful, but normal dinner passed in the Masaki household, followed by a brief time of relaxation in the living room. Tenchi had been hard pressed to find a place to rest his arm when Kiyone leaned against him while everyone was watching TV. Her short sweater and tight pants left him gaping when he didn't catch himself, and he hoped none of the other ladies had noticed.

He'd only had to pinch his nose once so far, however, when Kiyone had leaned forward to chat briefly with Sasami on the floor, and her sweater had fallen away from her body, giving him a glance underneath. She'd turned back to him at one point, seeing his reaction, and had thrown herself back onto the couch with her face turning red. That was a welcome change from what had seemed the blatant attempts by Washu the previous night. Unbeknownst to Tenchi, it had been planned by Kiyone, as she followed the ladies plot to condition Tenchi against his nosebleeds. It didn't prevent her from being embarrassed, however, even if she did plan it.

Just as the previous night Washu had dragged him out, after a short time Kiyone tired of the strain of remaining among all the other ladies and asked Tenchi if they could leave. After saying their goodbyes and goodnights, Kiyone and Tenchi walked out of his father's house. Tenchi started for his house immediately, but was surprised by Kiyone's hand catching his arm.

"Walk with me for a while, Tenchi?"

"Of course, Kiyone, whatever you'd like to do."

The two walked in silence around the outskirts of the house, neither saying anything. Eventually, Kiyone broke the silence.

"What's it like, growing up on such a limited planet like this?"

"I'm not sure I can answer that Kiyone. In comparison to what? I don't have anything else to judge it against. And even if I did, the way I grew up would hardly be considered normal. Just my dad, grandpa some of the time, and me. Not the typical family by most standards?"

"That's true I suppose. Your grandpa is definitely not normal, for anywhere that I know of. And your dad, well he's a character. Did you know, he once pulled me aside and suggested I think about having kids with you? I thought it was supposed to be a person's mother trying to convince you it was time to have kids, not the father of the man you met just a few months ago."

"Geez, he never gives up. I'm sorry about my dad. He's been doing that to everyone, well except Sasami obviously. And Washu, too, for some reason. I don't know why he never suggests it to her, maybe because she's already offered."

"Whoa, hold on there." Kiyone stopped and turned to look at Tenchi. "She's offered to have kids with you? How does a boy your age turn that down? Well, I suppose the kids thing would be a little scary, but she's offering to, well, you know."

Tenchi hoped she didn't notice his red face, and answered carefully. "I know what she was offering, but you're right about the kids thing. I couldn't do something like that unless I was ready to make a full commitment to her. And I'm not, she's a little crazy, really. Mostly in a good way, of course. Plus, I can't sort out my feelings regarding all of you, it's complicated trying to figure out the six of you. Two would be bad enough, especially considering you're all from outer space. But six, I get a headache trying to think about it sometimes."

Kiyone turned and started walking again, now headed back in the direction of the small house. Tenchi trailed behind, not knowing what else to say.

When they arrived and sat down on the couch, Kiyone picked up the conversation where it had ended. "So why do you do it, then? Let all six of us stay and bother you? Wouldn't it be easier to just go back to a normal earth life without the hassle of six aliens trying to, um, be your girlfriend?"

"Well, first off, I agreed to protect everyone. So I couldn't send them away, even if I wanted to. Ayeka and Sasami are family, Ryoko, well, she's had a tough life, she deserves a peaceful place to start her life over Washu, too, and the house would be a mess without her. Mihoshi, she's just too nice a person to want to send her away. Not that I really want any of you to leave."

The silence lasted a few moments as Kiyone psyched herself up to ask the next question. "And what about me, Tenchi? Why don't you ask me to leave?"

Tenchi started, not expecting that question. "I suppose you'd have to say it's nice having a normal girl around. Not that you're normal, but compared to the other ladies, you're the closest thing to normal in this house. If I didn't know what you did, and where you came from, I'd almost think you were a native. If your hair wasn't that bluish-greenish color any way. I don't think I could say that about any of the others."

"So, you like normal, then?"

"Well, some of the time I like normal. Sometimes, the craziness from the rest gets to me, and I wish I could just get away. Other times I love being around them, hearing all the amazing things they've experienced in their lives."

"I see."

Tenchi caught the subtle tone behind her last statement, and knew he needed to say something to make her follow what he meant. "Don't misunderstand, I don't like you only because you're more normal than the others. If that was so important to me, I'd be heading to town all the time, trying to find a local girl. You're beautiful, and honest, and intelligent, and strong. That's a very appealing package."

Kiyone couldn't resist, and answered with a smirk, "So you like my package, then?"

"Er... hah, hah, very funny. See, and you've got a sense of humor too. How could anyone not like you?"

"You'd be surprised. I've hardly had what you'd call a lot of suitors in my life. I've had some brief relationships, but never anything serious. I never took the time to look, and if anybody ever looked at me, all they found was someone dedicated to her career over everything else. I probably chased them all off without even realizing."

"Kiyone, don't sell yourself short. If I met you somewhere else without knowing anyone else here, I'd definitely be interested in you. It has nothing to do with the rest in the house. Actually, I'd probably be afraid to even try for you, you'd fall into the out-of-my-league category. You shouldn't be worrying about what I think of you, it ought to be the other way round. I don't understand why you're interested in me."

"I'm not quite sure either." Kiyone noticed his disappointment and continued quickly, "I do know, though, that there's something about you I find interesting. People as honest and friendly as you are pretty rare where I work, and until now that's been the main thing in my life. So it's probably that. I'm sure there's something else too, but I haven't put my finger on it yet."

"Sounds lonely. Never working with people you can trust or count on. What about Mihoshi?"

Kiyone winced. She didn't like to talk about Mihoshi much with others, since her feelings were mixed. Mihoshi was still her friend and partner. "Mihoshi is, well, she's Mihoshi. She's honest and loyal and sweet, almost to a fault. But she's hard on the career in a lot of ways. She's my friend, but she continually gets me into trouble. I want to count on her, but I'm never sure if I can. She's just really, really frustrating, you know?"

Tenchi nodded his head, he'd noticed the same things in his time knowing Mihoshi. "Yeah, I guess so. She's still a really great person, though."

Kiyone could only nod in agreement.

"Why is getting ahead in your career so important to you, Kiyone? Not that there's anything wrong with that, but it seems like it's made your life a little harder than it needed to be."

"You know, it's been a long time since I told anybody why I joined the Galaxy Police. I'm not even sure if I ever told Mihoshi the whole story. In a nutshell, my mom and dad ran a little store back where I grew up. One day, when I was still young, a gang moved into the area and started running a protection racket. You know, extorting money from all the business owners or vandalizing their stores. My dad never gave in, but he got beat up I don't even know how many times, and they rebuilt the store even more often than that. The local police were understaffed and underpaid and couldn't be bothered with stuff like that when they had to try and catch the 'real' criminals."

"Not surprisingly, I realized that I wanted to do something about it. I set my goals high, to someday have enough influence to try and stop something like that. If somebody in the local police had decided to do something about it, they could have, but the top officers had other things on their agendas. I wanted to get to the point where I would be the one making the decisions. That way I could hopefully stop things like that from happening. It hasn't worked out that way, though."

Kiyone sat back, lost in thoughts of her early days. Tenchi let her do her thinking in silence. Things had been a little easier with Washu the night before. He knew her well enough that he felt a little more comfortable talking things over. He and Kiyone were still feeling each other out, apparently neither sure how serious the other was. Tenchi knew he liked Kiyone, even though things with her seemed to have been rushed forward. But as was always the case, comparing his feelings for her against his feelings for the rest of the women left him drained. It just wasn't as easy as making up a list of likes and dislikes about each and picking a winner.

"So what influenced you to do what you're doing now, Tenchi? Or is that a little too obvious?" Tenchi started at the unexpected question. He'd gotten lost in his thoughts like he thought she had been.

"Well, I assume it's pretty obvious, but I like a simple quiet life in general, especially as opposed to some of the crazy stuff that's happened to me since everyone started showing up. I'm a little afraid that my time on earth isn't going to last much longer, so I'm trying to make the best of it. Grandpa is stuck here because of Funaho, and dad, I don't think I can see him heading out into space with me. So really, I'm just hoping for as much time here as I can get, I guess you'd say."

Kiyone nodded, then stifled a yawn. She'd gotten up pretty early that morning, and it was catching up. Not to mention she'd been on edge all day. But she was enjoying the opportunity for some quiet time with Tenchi. She looked over in time to catch Tenchi yawning, too.

"Looks like we're both running down. Perhaps we should call it a night, then?" Kiyone stood up, intending to make her way to the door.

"You're leaving?"

Kiyone noticed the slight hint of regret in Tenchi's voice as he asked her that, and looked at him with curiosity. "I was planning to, yeah." She couldn't stop a grin from spreading onto her face. "You had something else in mind?"

Tenchi flushed red immediately, and stammered, "No, of course not." After a moment to compose himself, he continued, "I always forget how different you are from the rest. After Washu did it last night, I just assumed everyone else would want to. I guarantee Ryoko and Ayeka will, and I expect Sasami and Mihoshi probably will. You're not like them, I guess, I should have expected."

"Well, I suppose I could. I didn't bring any pajamas along though. Do you have something I could borrow for the night?"

"Um, er, yeah, I suppose I've got some of my pajamas clean somewhere, I could let you borrow some."

"Well, those are probably a little bigger than what I'm used to. I don't know if I'll be able to sleep comfortably in those. Got any shorts and a tank top I could borrow? Or I suppose I could just sleep in my undies." Kiyone could barely keep the laugh from escaping as Tenchi's face reddened and his eyes widened and flicked to her body before he caught himself.

"Ahhm, er, I think I have some shorts somewhere, but I don't wear tanks much. Is a t-shirt okay?" Tenchi turned and started rummaging through his drawers, looking for something that might be suitable, thankful for the opportunity to take his eyes off of her. He was pretty sure his nose would start bleeding if he thought about Kiyone in her underwear any more, and looking at her made it hard not to. He finally found a pair of shorts and a t-shirt, and turned and handed them to her.

"That should work, I suppose. I guess I'll have to remember my own next time. I don't think these are what you'd call fashionable." Kiyone laughed at the bright red shirt and light green shorts Tenchi had pulled out, and headed for the bathroom to change.

Tenchi quickly headed to his room, closed the door and changed into his own pajamas. He made sure everything was arranged, the futon was still on the floor and made neatly. The knock on the door caused him to jump before he calmed his heart down, realizing it was certainly Kiyone. He opened the door, bracing himself not to stare at her when he saw her. He couldn't help it though, she was very attractive in the smaller clothes, but the colors were definitely amusing. He found himself laughing as he looked at her.

"Yeah, I know. It's your fault though, is this all you had?" Kiyone laughed with him, knowing how silly it looked.

"Well, I probably have something else if you really want me to dig around some more. It really doesn't change the fact that you're pretty, though, even if your clothes don't match." Tenchi froze, realizing what he'd just said had come out of his mouth, and he wasn't just thinking it. He flushed bright red again.

Kiyone turned red, too, but walked past him into the bedroom, carrying her other clothes. "That's a nice thing to say, Tenchi. Thank you. What should I do with these?" She held the clothes out for Tenchi to see, as she'd purposely left her bra on top.

Tenchi looked as she waved the clothes in front of him, and recognizing what was on top, his face perhaps turned a brighter red if that was possible. His eyes jumped to her chest before he caught himself. In the end, it was too much and he felt the blood start trickling from his nose. He turned, his left hand pinching his nose, and his right hand pointing to the corner of the room. "Youn cank toss jhem over zere." Tenchi winced, knowing it had to be obvious what had happened.

"What was that? I didn't quite catch that Tenchi." Kiyone laughed silently, her shoulders bouncing a bit at Tenchi's reaction. He wasn't cured yet, obviously.

Tenchi, took a deep breath through his mouth, let go of his nose, and said again while pointing with his hand at the corner, "You can just toss them over there, Kiyone." He snagged a tissue and did his best to clean himself up before he turned to face her again.

"Thanks." Kiyone dropped them in the indicated corner. She turned back around, and walked back to the futon which was obviously where she was going to be sleeping. "Mine?" At the nod from Tenchi, she stepped over to it, standing next to Tenchi. She stopped and waited, Tenchi remaining silent as he watched her move. After a few silent moments, she realized she was going to have to prod him to action. "Well, aren't you forgetting something?"

Tenchi got a confused look on his face, obviously not catching her hint. Deciding to take things into her own hands, since that was her personality, Kiyone stepped right up to Tenchi and leaned her face in close to his. "You still owe me something, remember. I'm collecting now. And it needs to be better than getting hit by a water balloon."

Finally catching on, Tenchi again turned red. He hated how often he'd done that already tonight. He'd gotten embarrassed less by Washu last night than he had with Kiyone tonight, and he hadn't thought that was possible. Again a deep breath calmed him slightly. He reached out with his right hand while stepping in the remaining distance and put it on her hip. Then he leaned in and kissed her as best he could trying not to smack her as he apparently had Washu. He stepped back almost immediately, his face burning.

Kiyone smiled and decided to almost let him off the hook. It hadn't been fabulous, but she was unlikely to get much better from him without a great deal of embarrassment for both of them. He'd certainly be better the next time around, knowing the rest of the ladies. She stepped in close again, and laughingly said, "I think I'm gonna need another. That wasn't too impressive." She leaned in the rest of the way and she kissed him this time. She broke it quickly and then turned and started getting into the futon. Tenchi just stood there, shock preventing his muscles from being able to move.

Finally, he came to his senses and climbed into his own bed. He turned off the lights and said, "Good night Kiyone."

"Good night, Tenchi" Kiyone answered.

--

Marco eyed the mostly blue planet from the viewing area of his ship. It didn't look all that different from many of the other planets he'd been to. The amount of water was a bit more than average, perhaps, but nothing special. He'd never been to the Earth before, so he supposed he wouldn't really get a feel for the world until he got down there for himself.

He signaled the captain again, and asked, "Any response yet from our contact on the surface?"

With the negative response from the captain, Marco got up and began to pace. He hoped their contact down there would be able to give them some information that would be useful. Scouring the whole area to find her would be next to impossible. Especially since they couldn't afford to be detected by anyone who might report it back to the Juraians or Galaxy Police. It was Juraian territory, but the GP might respond as they had the pair on patrol in the area.

Marco continued to pace, having nothing else to do to work off his energy. He was close, now, in a sense, and the need for action was starting to get to him. But he also knew that he still probably had a long search ahead to truly find where Kiyone Makibi was located. The only thing that might shorten his wait was if somehow the two GP officers were on a patrol and he could use that to track them down, but considering the remote nature of this system he wasn't counting on it.

He settled down, and returned to his seat, looking at the planet again as it slowly grew in his viewscreen. It would be over soon...

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	13. Chapter 12: Ryoko

Chapter 12: Ryoko 

Ryoko laid on the rafter, tapping her foot impatiently. When was Sasami going to get up? It had to be soon, didn't it? Once Sasami made breakfast it was Ryoko's day with Tenchi, and she could barely contain herself waiting.

She'd had to endure two whole days where Tenchi was someone else's in a sense, and the frustration had been immense. Once she got her chance to have Tenchi to herself, she figured she'd be able to show him some things he'd never seen or done before, if she could just convince him to let her.

Kiyone hadn't come back last night, meaning she'd spent the night at Tenchi's house just like Washu had. Ryoko hadn't been surprised that her mother had done that, but she hadn't really expected it of Kiyone. In a sense, she was glad Kiyone was going all out, though. Sometimes you had to be tough to survive, and Tenchi needed a push in that direction, he was probably too nice for his own good. Kiyone understood that fact, and that kind of influence coming from someone besides Ryoko was a good thing.

Ryoko couldn't stand it any more, and decided a visit to check on Sasami was in order. Maybe while she was there, she could find some way to wake her up without Ayeka noticing. Once Sasami was up, she was sure to start working on breakfast. Then it would only be a short time before Tenchi was hers. She phased herself up through the ceiling and then poked her head through the wall of Ayeka's and Sasami's room. There they both were, sleeping soundly. How late could she sleep in, any way? It had to be 3 or 4 o'clock in the morning by now. Who needed that much sleep, really, it didn't accomplish a whole lot in Ryoko's book.

Deciding not to bother Sasami, whom Ryoko was willing to admit was most likely the closest to a friend of the ladies in the house, Ryoko dropped back through the floor and came to rest on the rafter again. She could try and be patient for Tenchi. She was working on it, but patience wasn't her strong suit.

--

Tenchi awoke to the sounds of Kiyone rustling around his room. He opened his eyes and got a good view of her leaning down to pick up her pile of clothes from the previous day. Her legs looked fabulous like that, all stretched out. Her hair was quite a mess, though, but it was kind of cute. He quickly closed his eyes before she turned back around so she wouldn't catch him ogling her from behind.

She walked out of his room, and he heard the door to his bathroom closing. He glanced at the time, surprised to see how early it still was. Kiyone being an early riser didn't surprise him much, but it had to make sharing a room with Mihoshi interesting. He was awake, now, though, so he figured he might as well get up too. There was no telling for sure when breakfast would be, so they might have a little while to sit and chat again this morning. He'd learned a lot about Kiyone yesterday, and felt better for it.

He rummaged through his closet and drawers a bit to find something to wear. Kiyone must have heard him, as she called out from the bathroom, "Tenchi? Do you have an extra toothbrush anywhere I could use?"

"I think there's one in the bottom right drawer, Kiyone."

"I hope you don't mind, I used your comb."

Tenchi finally found a shirt to put on, and wandered out into the small living area of this house. He sat down and flipped on the TV to catch some news. He had a hard time keeping track of what was happening in the real world, sometimes, he got so wrapped up in everything happening here. Nothing real interesting, typical crime in Tokyo, a new store was opening in Kurashiki. He flipped off the TV and wandered over to the window looking out to the main house. The sun just starting to tip up over the horizon cast a really great light behind the house. It was still strange to not be living in that house, he'd been in it for almost as long as he could remember. He jumped when Kiyone laid her hand on his shoulder. She was back in her clothes from yesterday, obviously not having anything else to put on.

"It must be strange to not wake up in that house?"

"Yeah, I spent a lot of years there. It's probably not much different than if I'd decided to go to college, though. I think if I had, I'd have tried for Tokyo U, so I'd have had to move away. This is nice, I still get to see dad and grandpa. And of course all of you." He received a little squeeze from Kiyone, then he headed to the bathroom to clean up a bit himself.

When he was done, he emerged to see Kiyone still looking out the window at his father's house. "See something?" Tenchi asked.

"Ryoko's on her way over, I assume it's breakfast time. This was nice Tenchi, thank you." Kiyone turned around to face Tenchi as he peeked out the window to see Ryoko flying over.

"It was nice, wasn't it. It's what I've really been missing lately, a chance to just have some quiet moments to get to know any of you." He turned to look her in the eyes, and was tempted to kiss her one last time when he saw the apparent happiness in her face. He resisted though, not wanting to risk Ryoko actually seeing him kissing Kiyone. He gave her a smile instead.

KNOCK, KNOCK

"Tenchi, oh Tenchi. Breakfast time." Ryoko's voice called through the door, and Kiyone turned to leave. She opened the door and walked out, saying "Hello Ryoko. See you at breakfast, Tenchi." With that she left, and jogged back to the house, trying to give herself enough time to change into different clothes before breakfast actually started.

"Good morning, Ryoko. Should we go?" Tenchi walked over, only to get glomped on the mouth by Ryoko. His initial response was to try and fight her off, it was almost instinctive by now. Then he remembered that he'd promised every girl a kiss, so he relaxed and did his best to return the kiss.

"Mmmmm. I've been wanting to do that for a long time Tenchi. Why'd you make me wait so long?" Ryoko gazed into his eyes after he finally broke the kiss. He could see the feelings she had for him, it was obvious when you looked in her eyes.

"I made everyone wait Ryoko. I don't know what I really want yet. And you've used up your kiss already, you know. You might not get another."

"We'll see, Tenchi, we'll see. Let's go then."

Ryoko grabbed him by the arm and started marching him towards his father's house. She had to force herself not to pick him up and fly him directly to the table. She could be patient, for Tenchi.

"I like that outfit, Ryoko. It looks very nice on you."

Ryoko nearly burst with joy, Tenchi almost never gave out compliments like that to any of the ladies. He was afraid the others might take it the wrong way.

"Thank you Tenchi. I knew you'd like it. So did Ryo-Ohki, she helped me pick it out." Yep, the short-sleeved blue kimono had definitely been the right choice.

"I'll have to be sure to tell her too, then."

They arrived at the breakfast table, again to a full crowd including Yosho. That was three days in a row. Obviously he was interested in what was happening with Tenchi and the girls. It was rare to have him at the breakfast table more than twice in a week.

Just as they were sitting down, Misaki having the extra place next to Tenchi this time, Kiyone came bounding down the stairs, now dressed in her typical pants and sweater, not the tight and short combo she'd previously worn. Tenchi was relieved and disappointed to note that none of the women seemed to be dressed in a provocative manner this morning. It was strange that Ryoko hadn't. Of all the women, she had always been the most likely to, and now after two days of Washu and Kiyone doing it, Ryoko wasn't. Maybe he'd be able to focus when he was with his grandfather, today, though.

Once everyone was seated and eating, Yosho asked first, "So how'd it go yesterday? I assume Tenchi was adequate?"

"Would you stop it, grandpa? No one cares whether I was adequate. Um..."

Tenchi was forced to stop from the amused faces and outright laughter he was getting from everyone. Obviously he'd underestimated everyone's interest in what was happening again.

"He wasn't terrible. He still needs some work, though. A bit more practice would do him some good." Kiyone couldn't help laughing at Tenchi, too, even though she knew it would be someone else kissing him for the next few days instead of her.

"Hmmm. He seems to always be in need of practice." Yosho smiled at his grandson, enjoying the levity with everyone else.

"He'll get plenty of practice today. You're all in for a real treat when your turn finally comes around again. Of course after today, the rest of you might not get a turn." Ryoko gave Tenchi a kiss on the cheek, which he barely even acknowledged, he was so embarrassed by the conversation going on around him.

"Is that so? Knowing you, you've already taken advantage of poor Tenchi." Seeing the confirmation in Ryoko's eyes, Ayeka continued. "Perhaps you've received the only kiss from Tenchi you're ever going to. Perhaps, after his day with me he'll see how a woman such as yourself is no fit match for him."

The sparks started appearing between Ryoko and Ayeka, and the jovial mood was broken. Tenchi just shook his head, while Mihoshi and Sasami tried to settle the two down.

Ryoko and Ayeka were finally separated with a little assistance from Misaki, and everyone settled back into breakfast. Ryoko snuggled into Tenchi as close as she could, smirking at Ayeka the whole time. Tenchi put up with it as best he could, eating mostly with one hand, as the other was constantly bumping into parts of Ryoko he was trying to avoid thinking about.

Out of nowhere, Mihoshi asked, "Why do you two keep fighting?"

The silence extended for a few moments as everyone turned to regard Mihoshi curiously. Ryoko and Ayeka traded glances with each other before looking at Mihoshi again, a slight blush visible on both their faces. Ryoko and Ayeka both spoke, almost simultaneously, "Because she's trying to take my Tenchi away!" Both turned to glare at the other with that.

Mihoshi considered this for a moment, then answered, "But that doesn't make any sense. If it were just because of that, then you'd be fighting with Kiyone and Sasami and Washu and me all the time, too, right? We're trying to get Tenchi, too."

Tenchi wanted to protest that he wasn't anyone's yet, but kept silent in hopes of hearing a logical explanation for the behavior of Ryoko and Ayeka. He could tell he wasn't the only one interested as everyone else was looking expectantly at one or the other.

"Um, it's kinda like..." Ryoko started.

"Well, you see..." Ayeka sputtered.

The silence returned as their two faces grew redder.

"She's mean." Ryoko finally answered lamely.

"She's insensitive." Ayeka shot back.

"She's a snob."

"She's an exhibitionist."

"She's too prissy."

"She's too crude."

"Grrrr."

"Grrrr."

The returning sound of sparks in the air was broken by Mihoshi's voice. "Oh, I get it now. You two are sisters, aren't you?"

The silence returned in force as everyone's jaw dropped open at the statement by Mihoshi. Kiyone, perhaps having the most experience with Mihoshi, was the first to recover.

"What are you talking about? They're not sisters. Ayeka is Misaki's daughter, and Ryoko is Washu's daughter. And Ayeka's dad is..." Kiyone turned to look at Washu.

"I most certainly did not! I've told you all before, I combined my ovum with some masu. I certainly didn't have a relationship with the King of Jurai. I was trapped by Kagato during that time, remember?" Washu glared at Kiyone.

"Right, sorry Washu. Things are so crazy around here I don't know if I would have been shocked to find that out or not. Why the heck did you say that, Mihoshi?" Kiyone turned the conversation back to Mihoshi, noticing the strange looks Washu was getting from Misaki and Funaho.

"Well, they sound just like two sisters I knew growing up. They fought all the time, and it always sounded like that, so I just assumed they probably were too. I guess that is a little silly, isn't it. Oh, I'm so embarrassed." Mihoshi covered her cheeks with her hands as she blushed.

"Wow, that would've been kinda neat. Then I would have had two big sisters." Sasami couldn't help smiling thinking how much fun it would be if Ryoko was also her sister. "Which one of you is older?"

"Sasami! That's hardly appropriate. Although the answer should be obvious to anyone, I was only in my twenties when I went into stasis for those 700 years, whereas Ryoko has been alive for what, two-thousand years or so?" Ayeka gave Ryoko her best winning smile.

Yosho coughed while he and Tenchi tried to pretend like they weren't listening to a conversation about womens' ages. Ryoko's face had distorted in anger, and she was about to retort when Mihoshi spoke again.

"Wow, you're both so old. You really don't look it, either one of you. I'm just a baby compared to the two of you. And you were in stasis for 700 years too, weren't you Sasami? And since Kiyone's older than me, I'm the youngest of all of us. Well, except for Tenchi, of course, but all us ladies." Mihoshi bounced around the floor in her excitement.

"She's certainly got the baby brain, any way," Kiyone muttered under her breath.

"So Ryoko is the oldest. You've got a big sister now, too, Ayeka!" Sasami laughed and smiled at Ryoko and Ayeka as they spluttered.

"She is not my sister!" Again Ryoko and Ayeka spoke in unison, only to turn and glare at each other.

"Whenever anyone figure's out who's related to who, be sure to tell me. I'll see you at practice Tenchi." Yosho rose and left with his usual steady pace.

"Okay, everyone, get going. Sasami, stop teasing. Ayeka, Ryoko, quit fighting. Kiyone, see what you can do with Mihoshi. All right? Good." Misaki brought everyone back into line smoothly, and they quickly finished eating. Sasami started on dishes, Washu disappeared into her lab, Tenchi headed off for the fields with Ryo-Ohki, and Kiyone tried to get through to Mihoshi. Ayeka and Ryoko just "hmphed", and walked off in opposite directions.

"It feels like we're raising children again, doesn't it sister?" Funaho laughed quietly with Misaki as they watched everyone disperse.

--

Ryo-Ohki quietly worked the row of carrots she was on. The tops of the carrots were starting to poke through the ground, and Ryo-Ohki could barely contain her excitement. She still had a long time before she could pull them, but being able to see them finally was enough to get her all worked up.

She hoped things went well for Ryoko today. Ryoko would hopefully be more pleasant if Tenchi let her do those things she wanted to do, though. Ryo-Ohki could sense the tension that built in Ryoko whenever Tenchi was around. Actually, she could feel it in most of the women, except those two new older ones, but her link with Ryoko always got fuzzy when Tenchi was nearby as Ryoko's focus moved away from Ryo-Ohki. It always left Ryo-Ohki a little perplexed, but she figured if Ryoko could just get it out of her system, maybe she'd relax again. Ryo-Ohki thought perhaps she could help make sure things went well with Tenchi and Ryoko today. She'd have to see what she could do once she finished here in the fields. She continued to work for a few hours, and then she and Tenchi picked up their tools and headed back for the shed, to put them away.

As Ryo-Ohki wandered back in from the fields, being done with what she needed to do for the day. It was time to see what she could do to help Ryoko with Tenchi. The problem was, she didn't really understand what humans liked to do most of the time. They just didn't make sense to Ryo-Ohki.

Then she noticed some flowers along the side of the path. That would maybe do the trick. She just had to get Tenchi to give Ryoko some flowers. That would help move things along nicely. Women always liked receiving flowers, didn't they, especially from the man they loved?

--

When Ryoko finally appeared at the practice fields, instead of joining the Juraian contingent (Kiyone and Mihoshi were practicing with their weapons again today), she instead made her way over to where Tenchi was practicing with his grandfather. She watched and waited for a while as they worked through some forms silently. After around 10 minutes or so, when they finally finished, Tenchi gave Ryoko a puzzled glance, while Yosho just looked at her expectantly.

"I was hoping you might let me join your sword-practice. I'm getting a little rusty, I think. Haven't had much practice in the last 700 years." Ryoko hopefully waited for an answer.

Tenchi didn't know what to say, all he could do was turn to his grandfather to see what his answer would be. Yosho considered it for a moment before responding in the negative.

"No. I cannot teach you as I teach my grandson. That is for the Juraian nobility alone."

"But grandpa..."

"Tenchi! That is how it is. These techniques were never meant for others outside of our line. I'm sorry Ryoko."

Ryoko tried to hide her disappointment. This was one of the things she'd hoped to be able to share with Tenchi, to show how she was different than the other girls. She'd undergone her own rigorous training with the sword, and had thought maybe she and Tenchi might be able to share their experiences with each other.

"Could she at least spar with us, grandpa? You wouldn't have to teach her, but just let her practice with us when we were done with patterns." Tenchi blurted this out as quickly as he could, trying not to give his grandfather a chance to stop him before he'd said it all. He achieved his goal, as Yosho opened his mouth for a moment to say something, but closed it as Tenchi finished what he had to say. After a few more moments of consideration, he relented.

"Yes, perhaps that would be all right. It might be good for you to learn against someone else besides your grandfather. You've perhaps grown too confident in your abilities, having only faced one style of opponent all this time. Ryoko might be able to teach you in ways I cannot."

Ryoko's face lit up with her happiness. It wasn't perfect, but it was good enough. She'd have to find some other way to keep her forms sharp, but the sparring would still be beneficial. And she'd get to spend more time with Tenchi than anyone else, even if they were trying to beat each other with sticks.

"Thank you, Yosho. I'll help you make Tenchi the best swordsman in the universe."

"I'm sure you will Ryoko. Well, then, I suppose you'll need this." Yosho handed her his practice sword, and motioned her over to speak to her quietly. "Don't hold back, please. We can work on improving his skills later, but right now it would be good for him to learn what it's like to face an opponent who is not held to the ground by gravity. He pays more attention when he's received a few bruises to remind him of why he is practicing."

"Well, I don't want to hurt him, but I suppose a few small bruises would be okay. I'd rather save them for another day though."

"Yes, it is your day, isn't it? I will not allow you to use this practice as a tool in your contest for Tenchi. If you cannot put your own interests aside for this, Ryoko, I will have to ask you not to practice with us. This is not about earning Tenchi's love, it is about protecting his life, and quite possibly your own or the lives of those around us."

Ryoko hadn't really given it that type of consideration, which she supposed she should have. She still thought of herself as the one needing to protect Tenchi, not the other way around. But she prided herself on having learned as much as she possibly could, and only by using all of her abilities against Tenchi could he learn everything he might need to.

"I'll do my best, then. Thank you."

They turned back to Tenchi, and Yosho motioned them into place. Tenchi and Ryoko squared off facing each other in ready stances. They waited briefly, but at a sharp "begin" from Yosho, they both lunged forward. Tenchi blocked Ryoko's low strike, and countered with a slash of his own which she blocked, then they were past each other. Tenchi planted, turned to meet Ryoko, and was met by nothing but empty space. Too late, he realized she was using her powers and spun in hopes of catching sight of her, but he felt the solid whack on his backside and knew he'd been beaten that quickly.

With a sigh, Tenchi lowered his sword and finished turning to face Ryoko who had a huge grin on her face. Tenchi rubbed his posterior as he looked at her and his grandfather, and waited for the scolding he expected from his grandfather for not being prepared.

"That didn't take long, Tenchi. Perhaps you are not ready to fight someone of Ryoko's skill, yet? Thank you Ryoko, that will do for today. Tenchi and I need to spend some more time working on his awareness."

"But..." Ryoko watched as Yosho took Tenchi aside to begin giving him some more instructions. It wasn't fair, she only got to spar with him for about ten seconds. But knowing she couldn't afford to argue with Yosho about this or she'd risk never getting to again practice with Tenchi, she walked away disconsolately.

Deciding she didn't want to deal with anyone at the moment, she flew back to the house and phased inside to lay down on her rafter. So much for one of her grand ideas. She'd barely gotten any time at all with Tenchi, and listening to Yosho had only caused her to give Tenchi a good whack which might not help her in her amorous ambitions for Tenchi tonight. It had been pretty funny, though. At least Tenchi had stuck up for her to even allow her to practice with him at all. That helped ease her disappointment over the results.

--

Mihoshi climbed out of the bushes where she'd been hiding to send random energy blasts from her gun at Kiyone as she worked her way through today's course. She brushed the twigs and dirt she'd managed to pick up off of her uniform.

"Icky," she said.

"Mihoshi? Mihoshi? Could I talk to you for a second?" Kiyone finally grabbed Mihoshi by the arm and spun her around to face her.

"What? Oh, hi Kiyone. You did pretty well, finished it in time, and it looked like you got all the targets. Umm, is something wrong?"

"Is something wrong? That would depend on whether you hitting me five times with your blaster during my run was a problem. How could you possibly have hit me with every shot? You only fired five times, right?"

"Well, let's see. There was the one from the tree near the beginning, then there was the one on the path. I accidentally shot another time when I leaned down to look at a butterfly, and then another when I saw you coming down the last trail. And then I guess this last one when I bumped my gun on the tree back there. So yeah, five should be right. Did I really get you with all five shots? I wasn't really even aiming on most of them, they were just by accident. That's just amazing."

"It is, isn't it? Well, I guess I should be happy that you're not a criminal that I have to face, shouldn't I?"

"Oh, Kiyone, I would never be a criminal, you know that. That's just silly. I mean if I were a criminal, then you'd probably be a criminal too, so we'd hardly be going up against each other. Hmm, I wonder what it's like to be a criminal, we should ask Ryoko some time. Maybe she'd take us out and show us how to do it sometime. Oh, but then we'd have to arrest ourselves, that would be strange, wouldn't it? I don't think I could put force cuffs on myself and get them closed, so I could probably escape..."

"Aauugghh! Forget it, Mihoshi. Let's go clean up."

Kiyone headed back for the house, leaving Mihoshi to run and catch up. They walked along in silence for a while, but as they neared the house, Mihoshi asked, "So how was it? You haven't told me yet."

"Huh? What? How was what?"

"Your date of course. What else would I mean? How was it?"

"Umm, Mihoshi, it's kind of between Tenchi and me. Do you want me asking about your date after tomorrow?"

"Oh, I wouldn't mind. You're my friend, we're supposed to share things with each other. We've never had boyfriends at the same time to gossip about before, so I thought it would be fun."

"You do realize we have the same boyfriend, don't you? It's not exactly like gossiping about what we're doing with separate boyfriends, you know."

"Well, I suppose, but it's okay, cause we're such good friends."

"Uh, yeah, right. Why does that make it okay?"

"Well, if we weren't such good friends, we wouldn't want each other to get Tenchi, of course. And the only way we can help each other get Tenchi is if we tell each other how things went. So if you're going to get Tenchi, you need to find out from me what things he liked, and if I'm going to get him, you've got to tell me the same. See?"

Kiyone rubbed her temples briefly in hopes of holding off the oncoming headache. "That makes no sense, Mihoshi. Why would you help me, and why would I help you? We're both trying to get him for ourselves. Surely you're not suggesting we should share him permanently? Is that what you want?"

Mihoshi's eyes widened, and her cheeks reddened. "Well, no, of course I want him to myself. I just thought if we helped each other out, we'd have a better chance with him. That way one of us would get him. That's what we want, right?"

Kiyone took a few deep breaths, trying to calm herself. "Mihoshi, do you have any idea what you're saying? Why would you want anyone but yourself to get Tenchi?" 'I've never understood why you dragged me into this,' Kiyone thought silently.

Mihoshi's eyes started glistening with the tears which were sure to follow. "But Kiyone, don't you want me to get Tenchi? I thought we were friends."

"Mihoshi, if you wanted me to help you get Tenchi, you shouldn't have pushed me into trying to get him myself. Now that I want him myself, why would I want to help you?"

"But, but... Waaahhh!" Mihoshi finally started the inevitable crying. It took Kiyone a few minutes to get her to stop.

"Mihoshi, let's go clean up, okay? We can talk about this more in the bath, but I'd rather not talk out here in front of the house, okay? We're still friends Mihoshi."

"We-we are? Oh, o-okay then."

They headed for their room, noticing Ryoko brooding on the rafter on their way, but Ryoko didn't seem to notice them. With a quick stop in their room to pick up new clothes they headed to the onsen. Kiyone realized she was starting to look forward to relaxing in the bath, and it was probably a bad sign. She was getting soft. If she ever had to go back out and do normal patrol duty again, without access to a hot bath whenever she wanted, she might not be able to take it.

When they arrived, they quickly stripped and got into the water. Kiyone was again reminded of just how good looking Mihoshi really was. Kiyone thought of herself as being attractive, if she really stopped to think about it, but compared to Mihoshi? She certainly didn't have the tan that Mihoshi did, she'd always considered that wasted time. But she had time to waste now, she might give it a try. She also didn't have Mihoshi's impressive chest, she never would without some surgery she didn't have any interest in. This competition for Tenchi was making her think about things she'd never had time for in the past, and she wasn't sure it was for the better.

"How do you like to be kissed, Kiyone?"

Kiyone's eyes nearly popped out of her head as she noticed Mihoshi moving in to sit next to her. "What???!!!" she spluttered.

"How do you like to be kissed? I've been thinking about what it will be like to be kissed by Tenchi, and I'm not sure what I expect. I know I'm not going to let him go to sleep before he gets it right, though."

"Oh. I see. I'm not sure, Mihoshi. I don't know if you can describe what you want, it just either feels right or it doesn't, don't you think?" Kiyone relaxed again. Mihoshi was freaking her out today, even more than usual. She sort of wished she'd been bold enough to do what Mihoshi was suggesting, and made Tenchi get it right, though. She had gone and kissed him, of course, but getting kissed properly herself would have been nice. She had a week to go before she could try again.

"Yeah, I suppose you're right, Kiyone."

The two ladies relaxed in silence for a while, each contemplating their own situation with Tenchi.

"So did he get it right?"

Kiyone jumped again. Mihoshi kept drifting off, then shooting out questions from nowhere. "Tenchi, when he kissed me? Not really. He's pretty tentative, I think he's missing the confidence you really need to pull it off. It'll probably be different for you. He's got Ryoko today, he'll probably kiss her a ton. By the time tomorrow rolls around, he'll know what he's doing."

"Yeah." Mihoshi's eyes got a dreamy look to them as she again imagined getting kisses from Tenchi.

Kiyone couldn't help envying Mihoshi. She was still looking forward to her first day with Tenchi. Kiyone couldn't get that back. Not that she necessarily wanted to, but the anticipation was almost as much fun as the actuality. She hoped Tenchi gave her a good performance, Mihoshi deserved that.

Like a flash to the head, Kiyone finally understood what Mihoshi had been talking about outside. It wasn't that Mihoshi wanted Kiyone to get Tenchi instead of herself, it was just that she wanted Kiyone to get him if she didn't. Kiyone was feeling the same in reverse. It wasn't that she necessarily wanted any of the others to be disappointed either, but her long partnership with Mihoshi had probably built a closeness she wouldn't ever have with any of the other women. Mihoshi had worked with her on so many cases, saved her life enough times, that Kiyone realized she did want Mihoshi to be happy.

--

Ayeka and Sasami walked back to the house together, both having suffered greatly under their mother's tutelage. She wasn't afraid to make her point by demonstrating on her daughters. She never seemed to do so on Funaho, though. Each rubbed her new bruises, knowing they'd disappear fairly quickly, Misaki did still pull her punches enough not to do serious damage.

Ayeka eyed the small house in the distance as they neared the main house. She still had such a long ways to go before it was her turn. Would he even care by then, or would he have fallen for someone else already? She would never admit it, but she was worried about that. It appeared he hadn't made any commitment to either Washu or Kiyone yet, but just the fact that he'd kissed Washu before anyone else disturbed her greatly. Granted, if the order had worked out differently, maybe someone else would have been kissed first, but it had happened and it couldn't be changed now. Not unless Washu invented a time machine, and Ayeka doubted that was really possible. You never knew with Washu, though.

Kiyone had appeared fairly happy about the results of her first turn, as well. And today it was Ryoko. This was the day Ayeka was dreading the most. Ryoko got her chance so soon compared to Ayeka, it just wasn't fair. Why should a mad scientist, a couple of Galaxy Police officers, and worst of all a space pirate, get to go before the Juraian Princesses? Ryoko had been looking for a chance like this for so long, she was sure to pull unthinkable tricks to get Tenchi, and unlike other days, Ayeka couldn't do anything to interfere. Not if she still wanted her own turn later.

"You're thinking about Tenchi, aren't you?"

Sasami's question caught Ayeka by surprise, she jumped, and then felt the blush rising into her cheeks.

"I think about him all the time, too. It's even worse now that I know I actually have a chance with him. I always figured he'd have chosen you or Ryoko, or maybe even Mihoshi before I ever got a chance. I'm not sure why Tsunami decided I needed to grow up so fast, but I think I'm glad she did."

Ayeka remained silent. She didn't like to think of her not-so-little-any-more sister as being a rival. She loved her too much to be forced to fight against her. It was easy to compete with Ryoko, and even Washu and Mihoshi. They were all good people, really, but that wasn't enough to make Ayeka worry about hurting them in the end. Sasami was a different story. Hurting Sasami would hurt Ayeka in ways she couldn't imagine, but she had to hurt Sasami to get what she really wanted.

"I'm really sorry Ayeka. I know how badly you want him. I want him just as badly, I think." Sasami suddenly grabbed Ayeka in a hug which only a daughter of Misaki could manage. Ayeka struggled to breathe, but her experience with her mother had toughened her to such things.

"I know Sasami, it's not your fault. There aren't too many like Tenchi out there, let alone people like him who would be considered an acceptable husband for a Juraian princess. The thought of what I might end up with if Tenchi doesn't choose me is truly quite depressing. Can you imagine being married to someone like Seiryo? The very notion leads me to understand why some people find solace in illicit affairs outside of their marriage. Oh, my. I can't believe I really said that. You must never tell mother I said that, promise me Sasami!"

"You know I would never tell on you for something like that Ayeka. I'm afraid daddy's going to try and arrange a marriage for me to someone like that, too, you know. How much do you want to bet the next time he brings someone out, it'll be one for each of us, and they'll be worse than Seiryo. All he thinks about is the influence and support it'll bring him with the Council. He doesn't worry about our feelings. He thinks it'll just work out the same way it did with him and mommy, like that's just the way things always are."

Ayeka now returned the hug as best she could, she'd never managed the same force her mother and sister could, but she had squeezed a few people tightly in her time, and her sister was one who deserved it.

"Don't worry, Sasami. I'm sure we can find some way around our father's wishes. We managed it once already, I'm sure we can again." Ayeka didn't speak aloud her thoughts that hopefully Tenchi would be the person she ended up with. She knew that's what Sasami was probably thinking as well.

--

Tenchi started the walk back to his house after an interesting session with his grandfather. After Ryoko had beaten him by teleporting behind him, his grandfather had started working with him on techniques to keep himself under better control and use more of his senses than just his eyes. Tenchi hadn't been terribly successful with most of the exercises, but towards the end he had felt he was making a tiny bit of progress, he'd managed to avoid a couple of the rocks his grandfather threw at him from behind. He had plenty of bruises from the ones he hadn't, however. Misaki had raised her eyebrows at his lack of an appearance for her lessons, but he'd explained it away as being important, promising not to skip again.

The absence of any of the ladies was both refreshing and unusual. He'd expected Ryoko to be waiting for him the minute he got done, it wasn't like her to sacrifice one tiny fraction of her time with Tenchi. The ability to walk peacefully back to his house was a nice change, though.

He was about halfway back to his house when Ryo-Ohki hopped out of the bushes in front of him. It startled him for a second, but he smiled when he realized it was just the cabbit.

"Hi there, Ryo-Ohki. Done in the fields already?"

"Miya. Miya?"

"Yep, I'm done with practice for now. I'm just heading back to the house to clean up a bit before lunch. The fields are looking pretty good, aren't they?"

"Miya, Miya, Miya!!!"

"That's great. I'm sure you'll enjoy all the carrots when they're ready."

"Miya. Miya, mreowr, miya, miya?" Ryo-Ohki tried was trying to get Tenchi's attention for something, but he often couldn't interpret her actions, and in this case he was left puzzled. She took a few hops off in the direction of one of the other paths, then stopped and looked at him expectantly.

"Oh, you want me to follow you, right? You want to show me something?"

"Miya!"

Tenchi followed Ryo-Ohki down the path a ways, until she came to stop in a wider part of the path. Tenchi looked at Ryo-Ohki, waiting to see what she was going to do.

Ryo-Ohki was pleased that Tenchi had followed her this far. There were numerous different types of flowers in this little area, and she hopped over to the nearest, a bright red flower with numerous petals which spilled backwards from the stem.

"Miya." Ryo-Ohki did her best to indicate the flower.

"It's a pretty flower, isn't it? Did you want me to pick it for you?" Tenchi leaned over and picked the flower carefully. "There we go, I'll take it back to the house for you?"

"Mreowr." Ryo-Ohki shook her head, and hopped over to a yellow flower with a blue spot at the core of its petals. "Miya."

"That one too, huh? All right." Tenchi leaned down to pick that one also. "Any more, there are a lot of them here."

"Miya, miya!" Ryo-Ohki nodded her head vigorously.

"Oh, one of each. Okay, give me a bit."

Ryo-Ohki watched happily as Tenchi gathered the collection of flowers. When he was done he had over a dozen different flowers, and held together it made an impressive display.

"So, what do you think? Is this what you wanted, Ryo-Ohki?"

"Mi-ya!"

Satisfied that Tenchi had picked all the flowers he would need, Ryo-Ohki started hopping back to the house, Tenchi trailing behind. She hoped Ryoko would be smart enough to come meet them, but if not, Ryo-Ohki figured she could make Tenchi understand that he was supposed to give the flowers to Ryoko.

--

Ryoko finally noticed Ryo-Ohki approaching happily, and a quick check of their link told her that Tenchi was with Ryo-Ohki. She perked up immediately, teleported down to the floor, straightened her hair and kimono a bit, and then she was out the door to greet Tenchi.

As soon as Ryo-Ohki sensed Ryoko approaching, she quickly hopped away to disappear from sight, leaving Tenchi and Ryoko to be alone. She hoped Tenchi was smart enough to give the flowers to Ryoko, she'd put in a fair bit of effort to get him to do so.

Tenchi called out, "Wait Ryo-Ohki, where are you going?" and trailed after her briefly, but she quickly disappeared from his sight. He slowed down again, scratched his head, and then shrugged and headed for the house. He'd only taken a few step before he saw Ryoko flying towards him. Knowing he'd never be able to catch Ryo-Ohki now, he stopped and waited for Ryoko.

"It's about time, Tenchi," she exclaimed as she came to rest in front of him. "I've been waiting for you all morning, since Yosho sent me away."

Tenchi got a pained look to his face and answered, "I'm sorry about that, Ryoko. I know you would have liked to stay and work out some more, but Grandpa is pretty strict with his training."

"That's all right Tenchi, you're here now. Why don't we go get you cleaned up, huh?"

"Uh, that's what I had planned to do, but I don't really need any help with that, you know."

"Nonsense, let's go."

Ryoko grabbed Tenchi, and suddenly they were flying towards the floating onsen at breakneck speed. She phased just before they hit the outer glass wall, and they reappeared on the other side unscathed. Tenchi's heart had definitely skipped a beat, though.

"Ryoko!!! Slow down."

"Relax Tenchi, I'm not gonna hurt you."

As she approached the water, she did slow down a bit, but then she let him go, and he dropped into the water with a giant splash. She quickly phased away all of her clothes and flew down to join him in the water. Then she heard the shrieks.

"Aaaahhhh!!!"

Ryoko turned to face a bright red Ayeka and Sasami sunk up to their necks in the water, staring at Tenchi in front of them. He was dizzily getting to his feet after the plunge into the water.

"Whoops. I didn't know you two would be in here. Sorry about that. Oh well, it's not like he's never seen you before, Ayeka."

"Grrrr. That is so like you Ryoko. Just because you like to flaunt yourself for Tenchi doesn't mean the rest of us do."

BURBLE, BURBLE

"Sasami!!!"

Both Ryoko and Ayeka splashed their way over to Sasami who was sinking below the water, apparently having passed out. They hauled her out again, making sure she was breathing properly.

At that moment, Tenchi finally got his bearings, and hearing the commotion, turned and faced the three naked women. Realizing what he was looking at, the blood started streaming from his nose and he passed out.

"Tenchi!!!"

All three women splashed over to Tenchi to try and pull him up.

"All right you two, leave him to me. It's my day, and I'll be the only one without clothes in front of him today. Get out of here!"

"But..." Sasami started to say, but she cut off as Ayeka grabbed her arm and turned her to leave.

"This was your fault Ryoko. Tenchi had better be in perfect health or you'll pay the consequences. Come on Sasami. Leave the hussy to care for Tenchi, and let's get going."

"You can't fool me, Ayeka. You'll be doing the same thing when it's your turn." Ryoko called after Ayeka as she and Sasami left to dry off in private.

"Tenchi. Tenchi. Are you all right?" Ryoko finally turned a concerned eye to Tenchi, realizing she'd let him slip back below the water while she baited Ayeka. She slapped his back a couple times to get the water out of him, and he gradually came to.

"Ohhhh. What happened? Oh yeah, Ryoko, and it was Ayeka too, and Sas... Oh no, not Sasami. Where'd they go, I've got to go apologize to her."

"Hey, forget about them, Tenchi, they're fine. You on the other hand really need a bath now, you've got blood all over yourself. Let's get these clothes off of you."

"Ryoko! Stop it! I said stop it!"

Tenchi finally fought off Ryoko with his shirt half way over his head and backed away from her while straightening his sopping wet shirt back into place.

"And put some clothes on please. I'm leaving now. I can't believe you did that to Ayeka and Sasami."

"I didn't know they were here, Tenchi, really. Why would I do that to Sasami? Come on, stay and take a bath with me Tenchi."

"No, Ryoko. How long have you been doing this? You never think about consequences for anyone else when you do things like this, do you? And what about me? This was supposed to be a day for you and I to spend some time together alone getting to know each other a little better, not for you to manhandle me into the bath to play your games. I expect to hear that you've given Ayeka and Sasami a sincere apology by the time I get back from studying with Grandpa this afternoon or your day is over."

Ryoko watched in shock for a few seconds as Tenchi started to climb out of the water. "But Tenchi..."

"No buts, Ryoko. Those are my terms. I'll see you later tonight. I hope we can spend some time together."

As he disappeared, Ryoko felt the tears in her eyes, but wouldn't let them escape. Why did this have to happen to her, today of all days. Her first really good chance with Tenchi, and she'd already almost blown it. Why did Ayeka have to be here? She was always messing up everything Ryoko tried to do with Tenchi. She did feel bad about Sasami, though. She knew Sasami was struggling to adjust to her new changes and feelings, hopefully this wouldn't traumatize her too badly.

Ryoko wiped the tears from her eyes as she floated out of the water. She quickly phased to remove the water from herself, and then materialized the kimono back into place. She had to apologize to Sasami, that wouldn't be difficult at all, she deserved it. She didn't know if she could bring herself to apologize to Ayeka and really mean it though. But if she didn't apologize to Ayeka, her day with Tenchi was done, and maybe her chances for him at all. He would remember that she couldn't do it, even if he let her back into the contest, and she'd always have that hanging over her head.

Ryoko steeled herself for what she had to do. This would be one of the hardest things she'd ever done in her life.

--

Ayeka and Sasami walked back to their room, and Sasami could see the anger boiling inside of Ayeka. Sasami knew Ryoko hadn't done it intentionally, and after her initial shock at seeing Tenchi there, she'd gotten over her absolute embarrassment. She could tell that Ayeka was going to hold a grudge over this one, though, and wondered what she could say to get her sister to let it go. She wished they would just stop fighting over and over again. It didn't even seem like rivalry any more, just petty bickering. She didn't want to tell Ayeka that, though, she loved her because she was her sister.

As they reached their room and began the time-consuming process of arranging their hair even if they hadn't gotten it wet, Sasami thought a bit about what had just happened to her. She was a little surprised by how strongly it had affected her, but then, she'd been feeling pretty weird for a while now, especially when Tenchi was around. Certainly she was more conscious about her body now than she had been a few years ago, but she'd been in the bath at the same time as Tenchi before, and it hadn't bothered her at all. Of course it had never been without a towel before, either. It was nice to know the sight of her, and she grudgingly admitted Ryoko and Ayeka as well, had caused such a reaction in Tenchi.

Then she heard Ayeka muttering to herself, but she couldn't quite make out what she was saying. Knowing she needed to say something to get Ayeka to settle down, Sasami plunged in as best she could.

"Ayeka, it really wasn't her fault. She had no reason to know we were there. And I'm okay now, I just got caught by surprise. In a way, it was kind of nice to get it out of the way, now I'll be a little less nervous wearing that outfit I've got in a couple days when it's my turn. It was Ryoko's turn today, Ayeka, she was just doing what she wanted to have fun with Tenchi."

Ayeka eyed Sasami coldly before responding. "Sasami, I am willing to admit that Ryoko can do as she chooses in regards to what she wears in front of Tenchi today, but she should not act so rashly that it involves others in ways they do not expect. You may be okay now, but you did pass out, if you'll recall. And I for one am not accustomed to being naked in front of any man, even if it is Lord Tenchi. That is certainly not proper."

"Is it proper to wear a low-cut dress, Ayeka?"

"I, well, no, not really."

"But you've done that, so why is what Ryoko is doing so bad? Didn't you notice Tenchi's reaction? Isn't it nice to know you can have that effect on him?"

"While it is indeed gratifying to know that Tenchi finds me attractive without my clothes on, it is hardly something that should be done before you are properly married. It is not the same as wearing a revealing outfit."

"Okay Ayeka, you can act that way if you want. I think you're just mad at Ryoko for being so blatant with Tenchi, though. You don't have to hide things from me you know, I'm your sister."

Ayeka eyed Sasami with a puzzled look for a few moments. Was it possible that her young sister knew what she was feeling better than she herself did? She considered it for a moment and realized that Sasami was right, she didn't feel bad about wearing a revealing outfit in front of Tenchi, and in fact was not terribly disturbed to have been naked in front of him either.

She smiled at Sasami, and said "Why do you know so much for such a little, er, young girl?"

"Haha. I knew it. You big faker. You like that Tenchi saw you, don't you?"

"Now, Sasami, whether I feel that way or not, you don't have to make fun of me. That's not very nice."

Sasami got her mischievous smile, and then laughed at Ayeka. "Big sister's embarrassed she likes to show off for Tenchi. Big sister's embarrassed she likes to show off for Tenchi." Sasami danced around the room a bit as Ayeka's face colored.

"Sasami!"

"All right, I'm done now. It's pretty funny, though. You hid it pretty well Ayeka."

"You will keep this to yourself, I hope?"

"If you want me to, Ayeka. I don't know why you care so much, I don't think anyone else does."

"That's as may be, Sasami, but I'd prefer you keep it to yourself, okay?"

"All right. I need to go work on lunch."

Sasami dashed out of the room. Ayeka watched in rueful amusement as she disappeared. Her sister was pretty insightful for a girl her age. She wondered if that was due to Tsunami's influence, or whether it was just pure precociousness.

--

Ryo-Ohki eyed the flowers where they had been dropped by Tenchi when he was grabbed by Ryoko and whisked away. She hadn't seen what happened, but she suspected it was somehow Ryoko's fault. Sometimes it was a struggle to put up with that woman.

She wandered back towards the house figuring a carrot would help put her frustration aside. She decided she wasn't going to talk to Ryoko for a while though.

Ryo-Ohki was expecting to be able to play with Sasami for the afternoon, but she went with the rest of the ladies for lessons with Funaho. Ryo-Ohki didn't feel like listening to Funaho talk about things she didn't understand, so she wandered outside. She hopped down the path to the main entrance which was guarded by the two Juraian guardians.

"Hello Ryo-Ohki." "Good afternoon Ryo-Ohki."

Azaka and Kamidake greeted Ryo-Ohki who responded with a "Miya." Then Ryo-Ohki moved on, wandering along the fence, and finally back into the forest. Eventually she came to the side of the hill upon which the shrine resided. Tenchi would be up there by now, studying with his grandfather, so there would be no one up there to play with. She wandered up any way, not knowing what else to do.

As she reached the top, she looked out over the area. It certainly was a pretty view from up here, she thought. Not like flying through stars and space maybe, but still pretty.

As she turned back to return to the house to take a nap, she noticed a large man on a nearby hill looking her way. He was a good distance away, however, so she put it aside and went on her way.

--

Ryoko saw Sasami heading for Washu's lab, and decided to try and get her first apology out of the way as quickly as possible. This one wouldn't be too bad, apologizing to Sasami wouldn't hurt her pride too much. Maybe it would make the upcoming apology easier.

"Sasami? Can I talk to you for a moment, before you go talk to Washu?"

"Of course Ryoko. What is it?"

"Ah, well, you see... I guess I wanted to apologize for what I did to you earlier in the onsen. I should have checked before I dumped Tenchi in there like that. I'm sorry, can you forgive me?" Ryoko bowed her head, her cheeks a little red. That hadn't been so bad. She didn't plan on making a habit of that, but it actually felt pretty good.

"Of course Ryoko, I know you didn't do that on purpose. I'm fine now. It was actually kind of nice to see Tenchi's reaction any way. It's nice to know I can do that to him."

"Uh, yeah, I suppose so. Thanks, Sasami. Do you happen to know where Ayeka is?"

Sasami's eyes widened a bit in surprise. She obviously hadn't expected Ryoko to be intending to apologize to Ayeka as well.

"I gave her the laundry today, I think she'll be outside. Oh, and you're supposed to be sweeping the shrine today, Ryoko."

"Huh? Oh, thanks for reminding me Sasami, I'll get to that eventually. Thanks again, Sasami."

"You're welcome, Ryoko. Bye!"

Ryoko slowly headed for the back door, since Ayeka would be in back if she was doing the laundry. When she reached the door, she stopped, taking deep breaths, and trying to psyche herself up to do what needed to be done. She reminded herself again and again it was for Tenchi.

After a few minutes, she finally decided it was time, and opened the door. She wanted to make the best impression on Ayeka as possible, and teleporting out and startling her wouldn't help any. She quickly spotted Ayeka preparing the clothesline, and walked over, much more slowly than was really necessary.

Ayeka was humming to herself quietly, and didn't see Ryoko approaching at first. When she turned around and did notice Ryoko, she frowned and wondered what was coming. Ryoko walked all the way up and stopped in front of Ayeka, facing her. Then she lowered her head. Ayeka's eyebrows rose in curiosity at the mild manner displayed by Ryoko.

"Ayeka?"

"Yes?"

Ryoko sighed a deep breath. "I'm sorry."

Ayeka's mouth dropped open in surprise, and she barely stopped herself from blurting the disdainful expression which wanted to come out. She couldn't bring herself to say anything, and just watched Ryoko.

"I'm sorry Ayeka, I didn't mean to embarrass you like that. I just wanted to have fun with Tenchi, and I didn't stop to think about what might happen. I should have known better and checked before I dropped Tenchi in like that. I'm sorry."

Ayeka's mouth remained open, the shock of an apparent heartfelt apology from Ryoko was too mind-boggling. She continued to stare at Ryoko in silence.

Ryoko waited for as long as she could stand it before she finally had to look up. She expected to see an angry look on Ayeka's face considering the silence, but she was instead met by Ayeka's look of surprise. It hadn't been what she expected, but it made sense, considering the silence. And it made sense considering the usual rivalry between the two of them.

Finally, Ayeka managed to close her mouth. She looked at Ryoko's eyes to make sure the apology was sincere, and seeing the confirmation there, at least to the extent that Ryoko was sorry for something, she finally managed to say, "I guess I can forgive you Ryoko."

Hope flared in Ryoko's eyes when she heard that. That should do it, Tenchi would know she had apologized to Ayeka, and her day with Tenchi could continue.

"I assume Tenchi put you up to this with some kind of threat? Yes, I see. Well, I hope you've learned a lesson from this. You need to consider the consequences of your actions before you act, or you may get yourself into trouble."

A scowl started to form on Ryoko's face, but she smothered it quickly. It wouldn't do to get into a fight with Ayeka now. How dare Ayeka try and lecture her?

"Since you've recently taught me a lesson in regards to my relationship with Tenchi, perhaps it is fitting that you yourself learn a lesson Ryoko. I'll be more prepared to protect him, thanks to you, now you'll be more capable of meeting Lord Tenchi's wishes in regards to appropriate behavior."

Ryoko stifled the scowl once again, but then Ayeka's words sunk in a bit. Tenchi had been unhappy with her, not only for what had happened to Sasami and Ayeka, but for just grabbing him without asking. Perhaps she did need to consider how she acted a little more carefully. It wasn't really her nature, she was used to taking direct action, but for Tenchi, she'd try.

"Thanks, Ayeka. I've got to go now, I've got chores to do."

With that, Ryoko flew off in the direction of the shrine, and quickly disappeared from Ayeka's sight. Ayeka's mouth was hanging open again.

--

Ryoko was outside the shrine office when Tenchi completed his studies. She was sweeping, which seemed strange, although he had seen her doing it a few times before. She still didn't do her chores very consistently, even with Sasami now in charge of handing them out. He walked over to her, noticing her stop and clutch the broom just before he got there.

"Hello, Tenchi. Did you learn much today?"

"Pretty much the usual. Getting the ceremonies down properly. That kind of thing."

"That's good. Tenchi? I'm sorry."

Tenchi blinked, then looked at her closely.

"I'm sorry, Tenchi. I should have asked you to go to the bath with me, not just grabbed you." Three apologies in one day. Ryoko didn't know if she could take any more of this. Fortunately it was the last one, albeit the most important.

"Thank you, Ryoko. That's nice to hear. I know it's tough for you, but you really do need to give other people's feelings some consideration before you act. Have you talked to Ayeka and Sasami already?"

"Yes, I have, Tenchi. They both got an apology from me as well. I hope that we can continue our day together?"

"Yes, Ryoko, we can. I'm very proud of you, Ryoko. I know this was hard for you, but I think you should know how important it is to me that you try and get along with everyone else, and that includes Ayeka. You don't have to be her best friend, but I do want you to try and be civil. I know, I know, I'll be sure to tell her the same thing Ryoko, you're not the only person who needs to hear that."

"Thank you, Tenchi. I won't let you down again."

"Don't make promises you can't keep, Ryoko. I don't expect you to completely change just like that. But making an effort is enough for me for now."

"Oh, Tenchi!"

Ryoko threw herself into Tenchi's arms and kissed him on the cheek. She was surprised when he took her chin in his hand, and planted a soft kiss on her lips. The shock nearly caused her to pass out, and Tenchi staggered as he felt her weight falling into his arms.

"You got another kiss Ryoko, you're doing something right." Tenchi laughed as the blush rose in her cheeks.

"Well, now, I see the two of you are getting along pretty well. Should I assume this means that Ryoko will continue to practice with us from now on, Tenchi?"

Ryoko and Tenchi both nearly jumped out of their skin at the sound of Yosho's voice.

"Grandpa! How long have you been there?" Tenchi eyed his grandfather suspiciously.

"Oh, long enough to hear that Ryoko is learning some manners after all this time."

"Hey, now! You dirty old man, who are you to talk about manners?"

"Enough, enough. You're correct of course, Ryoko. I should not make light of what you learned today. I assume the two of you will be on your way to supper, shortly? Perhaps a dirty old man could accompany the two of you back to the house?"

Tenchi and Ryoko laughed with Yosho as they all headed back to the house.

--

After the usual fantastic supper prepared by Sasami, the family started heading towards their usual living room gathering. Ryoko grabbed Tenchi's arm to stop him from joining everyone, and pulled him aside.

"I've got something planned Tenchi. Can we go now, before the sun goes down?"

"Of course Ryoko, let's just let everyone know, okay?"

"Sure, Tenchi, just make it quick."

Tenchi made their goodbyes to the rest of the family, and then he and Ryoko walked outside.

"You should probably get a coat, Tenchi, this may get chilly."

"Um, okay, what did you have in mind, any way? It's a nice night out."

"I want to take you flying Tenchi. Not on an airplane, or on Ryo-Ohki. Just you and me. What do you think?"

Tenchi didn't answer for a moment as they walked into his house for him to grab a jacket. When he had it, he finally answered, "It sounds like fun. I guess I won't know til we try it, will I?"

"You won't regret this Tenchi, trust me."

"I'm sure I won't, Ryoko."

Once they were back outside, Tenchi put the jacket on and then looked at Ryoko. "So, how do we do this?"

"Just lift your arms up, and then when I grab hold of you, take hold of my arms. Good."

Tenchi followed her instructions, and once he did, they were off. Ryoko shot upwards at her top speed, taking Tenchi's breath away. After they'd gone up a few hundred feet, she stopped, and held him so that it was easy to look down.

"What do you think. It looks different from up here, doesn't it."

Tenchi looked down on the houses, the shrine on the hill, the lake, and was amazed by the difference from this perspective. He'd always known it would seem different, but he'd never gotten a good look at it from above, before.

"It's amazing, Ryoko. Thank you!"

"Ready to go, then?"

"Sure, Ryoko. Where to?"

"How about Tokyo?"

"Let's do it!"

Ryoko shot off to the East, traveling faster than Tenchi believed possible. The ground blurred past, he could barely make anything out, and the noise of the wind deafened him. Sooner than he expected the lights of a large city that had to be Tokyo were becoming visible. Ryoko cruised over Tokyo, letting Tenchi see the city from above.

They buzzed around, taking in the imperial palace and gardens, Tokyo tower, and numerous other sites which Tenchi was only vaguely familiar with. Ryoko even took him over by the airport and raced an airplane as it was taking off, beating it easily.

While he was enjoying the experience immensely, Tenchi was quickly tiring and growing cold. He hadn't realized how cold it was going to be, and the rush of adrenaline was wearing off. As politely as possible he asked, "Can we go home, now, Ryoko? This has been fabulous, but I'm cold and I'm tired."

"Of course, Tenchi, you should have said so sooner. I'll fly a little lower on the way back so it's a little warmer. We'll have you home soon."

"Thanks Ryoko. I think when we get home, maybe I'll take that bath with you you didn't get earlier today. I'm gonna need it."

"Yahoo! Buckle up, I'll have you home in no time."

Ryoko zoomed back to the West, even faster than before, at least it seemed so to Tenchi. They arrived home quickly, with Tenchi's nose, ears, fingers, and toes having gone numb. But instead of immediately heading back to his house, Ryoko instead stopped above the lake, allowing them to get an excellent view of the sun as it set.

"That's amazing Ryoko! Thank you, this has been wonderful. But I'm really cold, can we go down now?"

"Do you trust me Tenchi?"

"Of course I trust you, Ryoko, I... nooooo!"

Not in time to stop her, Tenchi realized what she was going to do. Before he could do anything else, he was plummeting towards the ground as she had phased out of his grasp. Downward he plunged watching the water rush towards him.

"Aaaahhh!!!!"

The small scream escaped without thought as he braced himself for the impact. Then he felt himself slowing down and Ryoko's arms were again wrapped around him. He grabbed them tightly as the breath escaped from his lungs, and his heart lurched back to a start.

"So, how was it, Tenchi?"

"Frightening!"

"But was it fun?"

Tenchi thought about it a moment. Then he grinned. "Yeah."

"I knew you'd like it! Now, let's get to that bath."

Ryoko flew Tenchi over to the floating onsen, this time pausing at the edge to glance in and make sure nobody was inside. Seeing no one, she phased them inside. This time she dropped Tenchi at the edge of the water instead of into it, though. After she did so, she quickly phased away her clothing and flew over and into the water. Tenchi watched the whole thing carefully, amazed at his lack of reaction. But considering how many times Ryoko had taken the opportunity to appear in front of him without her clothes on, he wasn't totally surprised. She certainly was beautiful, and her figure was flawless.

Looking around for a towel, Tenchi disappeared behind a bush to strip out of his clothes before wrapping the towel around his waist. She might not be afraid to take her clothes off but he wasn't ready to just yet.

He walked back out and lowered himself into the warm water, leaving a little separation between himself and Ryoko. He hissed as his numb body parts started stinging from the quick thaw. Then he sighed as his muscles finally started to relax. He hadn't even realized how tense they had been for most of the night. In only a few moments, Tenchi felt himself hovering on the edge of falling asleep.

"Tenchi? Don't you dare fall asleep on me yet!" Ryoko moved closer to Tenchi, who opened his eyes up again. Then he quickly shut them as Ryoko's chest was prominently placed right in front of him.

"Ryoko! I know you don't mind, but would you please put something on, or at least keep yourself below the water?"

"But why, Tenchi? I don't mind you seeing me this way. I want you to see me like this. Every night, for the rest of our lives. We could have a lot of fun, you know, I'd let you do whatever you wanted, Tenchi."

Even with his eyes shut, Tenchi could feel the blood start trickling out of his nose. He reached up and grabbed it, knowing Ryoko had to have seen it, but not really caring. He was starting to get used to that happening in front of the girls.

"Please, Ryoko?"

With a sigh, Ryoko answered, "Okay Tenchi. There."

Tenchi opened his eyes, only to be met by the same view as before, Ryoko with her bare chest right in front of him. He snapped his eyes shut again.

"Ryoko!!!"

Ryoko chuckled, and then phased out of the water to pick up a towel and wrap it around herself. She then phased back into the water next to Tenchi.

"Okay, this time for real."

Tenchi peeked out of one eye, glancing at Ryoko and making sure she was finally covered before opening his eyes fully. He sighed with relief, then wiped his nose a few times with a wet hand to clean the last of the blood away.

"Thank you, Ryoko."

"You're welcome, Tenchi."

The two sat in silence for a while, neither having much to say for the moment. Tenchi thought a bit about the days events. He was more proud of Ryoko for what she'd done today than for anything she'd ever done before. Even more than risking her life in an attempt to save his. That kind of action came naturally to her, displaying some true emotions and feelings to others was something she'd never been good at.

"Ryoko?"

"Yes?"

"Do you really hate Ayeka?"

Ryoko didn't answer for quite a while, not sure what to say. She decided the truth was the best, though, for Tenchi.

"I guess not, not really. I don't know that we can ever be good friends, we're too different, but I don't hate her. Unless you choose her."

It was Tenchi's turn to be silent for a moment, not knowing what to say. Hearing that she didn't truly hate Ayeka was an important step for him, and for Ryoko too, he thought. But he certainly wasn't ready to address who he was going to choose, he still had no idea what was going to happen with that.

"I haven't chosen anyone, yet, Ryoko. I probably won't for a long time. I like all of you too much to make a quick decision." Tenchi chuckled, realizing how long they'd all been waiting for him to make some decision. "Well, you know what I mean. You're doing just as well as anyone else Ryoko, you don't need to worry about that."

--

Valentino Rudolpho sat and eyed the message which he had received from Marco again.

Target acquired. Beginning observation. Will commence operation at opportune moment. M.

So he'd found her at last. Soon he'd know the satisfaction of having the woman who arrested his son either dead, or even better, at his mercy. Mr. Rudolpho sincerely hoped there was some way Marco could manage to bring her back to him alive, but if not, dead was almost as good, as long as he brought some part of her back which they could send to the Galaxy Police as a warning.

Soon he could forget about revenge, and put all his efforts into getting his son back. The GP were being stubborn, refusing to be bribed, refusing to make a deal of any kind. He needed them to learn their lesson, the Rudolpho's were not to be trifled with.

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	14. Chapter 13: Mihoshi

Chapter 13: Mihoshi 

A rustle and then a bump to his shoulder woke Tenchi from his sleep. His eyes sprung open, and he turned slowly to face what he knew he was going to see...

"Ryoko!"

"Good morning Tenchi!"

(GLOMP)

"Hey, cut that out!"

"You didn't complain last night, Tenchi."

(GLOMP)

"That was last night, and that was before going to bed, and that was most certainly without you in my bed!"

"You think I don't know that? Why do you think I'm in your bed now?"

(GLOMP)

"Ryoko, stop it!"

"Make me."

(GLOMP)

Tenchi rolled off the side of his bed opposite Ryoko to escape from the constant string of kisses. He mustered as much anger as he could, which amounted to almost nothing, and tried to glare at Ryoko.

"I told you not to do that, didn't I?"

"Yes."

Ryoko batted her eyes at Tenchi, and puckered her lips to blow him more kisses.

"And?"

"And I ignored you."

"Ryoko..."

"I gave it some consideration, Tenchi. That's what you wanted isn't it, for me to think about my actions first? Well, I did, and I decided it was worth it."

"Ryoko..."

"Admit it Tenchi, you were enjoying it."

"Wh-what? Of course I wasn't. I didn't want you to do that."

"Then why didn't you scramble out of bed the second you realized I was there?"

"I, well, er..."

Ryoko just smiled, and started crawling across the bed towards him. She was wearing a large t-shirt, Tenchi had finally managed to get her to put something on last night. He hadn't realized how sexy he would find it for her to be wearing something like that, but he had done everything in his power not to let her know, that would have been even worse.

(KNOCK, KNOCK)

"Tenchi? It's time for breakfast."

Tenchi breathed a sigh of relief as Ryoko swore. Then suddenly Ryoko was right in front of him, having phased herself over. She planted a kiss on his mouth, and he relented and returned the kiss, earning himself a squeeze on his butt.

"Bye Tenchi. Don't forget about me."

Ryoko phased herself over to the door, morphed her clothes back to her comfortable cat-tail dress, and opened the door to let Mihoshi in.

And then she paused in amazement. She'd had no idea what Mihoshi was going to wear, and seeing it didn't make her feel any better. With a grimace she glanced back at Tenchi, then she flew off towards the house. Tenchi just stared.

She had on her habitual pink and khakis, but they weren't quite the same pink and khakis that she normally wore. The khaki shorts were just that... short. The pink top was low cut and didn't quite reach the top of her shorts, showing off her flat stomach. She looked like she was ready for the beach, and Tenchi couldn't help wondering what kind of bathing suit would be hiding under those clothes.

"Hi Tenchi. Breakfast is ready. Umm, Tenchi? Did you hear me? Breakfast is ready."

Mihoshi approached Tenchi as he stared silently, his eyes bulging as her top bounced. She stopped right in front of him, and leaned her face in close to his, causing his eyes to bulge even more as her shirt fell away from her body.

"TENCHI!!!! BREAKFAST IS READY!!!"

Tenchi fell over backwards from the force of Mihoshi's yell right in front of him. He clapped his hands to his ears as they started ringing, and glanced up at Mihoshi. Then he immediately wished he hadn't, she was leaning over him with a worried expression, giving him an even better look down her shirt, this time it being obvious that she was, in fact, wearing a pink bikini underneath. Once again, he felt the now-familiar sensation of blood trickling from his nose.

"ARE YOU ALL RIGHT TENCHI?"

Tenchi grimaced as Mihoshi again yelled near his face, causing his ears to ring even harder. "Yes, Mihoshi, I'm all right, and I can hear you just fine. You don't need to yell."

"Oh good, I got worried when you wouldn't answer me. Does your nose itch? You seem to be rubbing it or holding it or something. You're not catching a cold are you? It's been so nice out lately that would be strange. In fact I was hoping to do some sunbathing today, it looks so nice outside."

Tenchi struggled back to his feet, finding his balance a little hard to find with his ears ringing so much.

"I'm sure you'll have a nice day for sunbathing, Mihoshi. If you'll excuse me a minute, I'll go clean up a touch, then we can go to breakfast."

Tenchi headed for the bathroom, and proceeded to wash and brush and all the usual things one did to get ready in the morning. When he was done, he stepped back out to find Mihoshi looking at a small pad of paper.

"Mihoshi, where'd you find that sketchbook? It's been missing ever since I moved over here. I thought I'd looked everywhere for it."

"Oh, well you see, I was really just going to sit down on the couch and take a nap, I'm still so tired. But when I did, I bumped my head against that lamp. And then, before I knew it I was hanging onto the lamp to keep it from falling, but my feet slipped the cushion off of the couch and I fell down. After I put the lamp back, I was about to put the cushion back in place, too, when I noticed your sketchbook. I glanced through it, some of these are really pretty. I like the one of your dad's house from the dock, and the one of the shrine steps from a distance was good, too. Oh and that hillside with all the trees, that was really neat..."

"Thanks Mihoshi, I appreciate that. I don't think anyone's ever seen them before, I've always been afraid to show them to anyone."

"Oh, you're welcome Tenchi. And you shouldn't be afraid to show them to anyone, they're really good. Do you only do buildings and nature scenes, or do you do people, too? I saw this great portrait of a lady once, she had this kind of smile on her face, but she wasn't quite smiling either, and she was wearing this red dress. Oh but I guess you're just sketching with pencils, you aren't using colors are you? Too bad, it'd be really neat if you could. Say... could you do a sketch of me sometime?"

Tenchi held his chuckles inside. Following some of Mihoshi's speeches was challenging, but she was so good-natured you still enjoyed talking to her.

"I've never done a sketch of a person before, Mihoshi. I don't think I'd be very good at it."

"Pllleeeaaasssseee?"

"I really don't think that's a good idea Mihoshi. I usually do stuff which has a lot of straight lines in it. I don't think you'd look right if I drew you with straight lines, you're a little too curvy. Ah..."

Tenchi hoped that Mihoshi missed the somewhat obvious connotation which could be applied to his last statement. He hadn't meant it that way of course, but...

"Please, Tenchi, pretty please? With sugar on top?"

Tenchi raised his hands in surrender. "All right, I give up. I'll try and draw a sketch of you Mihoshi. It'll probably take me a while to do it though."

"Oh goody. Thanks Tenchi."

Mihoshi grabbed Tenchi into a hug, which he accepted gracefully. It was better than getting tackled by her like usual. Mihoshi's hugs were almost as powerful as Misaki's or Sasami's though, and soon his ribs started to ache.

"Isn't it time we headed over for breakfast? They're probably all waiting on us by now." Tenchi disentangled himself from Mihoshi carefully, he mostly had bare skin to work with, and didn't want to misplace his hands.

"Oh yeah, I forgot about that. Let's go, I'm starving."

Mihoshi grabbed his hand and quickly started dragging him out the door. After a few stumbles, Tenchi finally caught his balance and fell into stride beside her, enjoying the sensation of her warm hand in his.

--

"He's up to something, Misaki. My information didn't say what, just that he was gone, and that Baron Rugoya and Earl Warufan were accompanying him. Those two don't make sense to me, they don't run in the same circles. Rugoya's a toady, while Warufan never shows his face if he can help it. What would our fool husband want with the two of them?"

Funaho and Misaki had just looked at their most recent correspondence from Jurai, and the usual trivialities had suddenly disappeared, replaced with the fact that their husband had gone missing, not letting anyone know where he was going. Funaho wasn't surprised by this, but she wanted to know what he was up to. Misaki's concerns were a little different.

"I imagine he probably didn't bring any guardians with him, either. He's such an arrogant ass sometimes, thinking he's beyond anyone's reach. If he had any idea how hard I have to work to keep him safe, he'd be begging for forgiveness."

"I'm just guessing, but I wouldn't be surprised if he's coming here, would you? We did kind of hint that he ought to try and correspond with the kids again. He's probably going to do it in person. Why's he bringing those two along, though? I hate it when he does this. I think it's time to add someone to my staff from his servants again. I knew it was a bad idea to let him have his privacy."

"Mmm, hmm, I think I need to add a new bodyguard to his retinue, too. Perhaps you could suggest someone..."

"Ahh, yes, I think I could. Just let me check with my advisers, I'm sure we can come up with a suitable candidate. Someone who just might work for both of us..."

The two queens smiled at each other, and with that problem solved, left their room to head for breakfast. Sasami had announced it was ready almost five minutes ago, it wasn't a good idea to keep her waiting.

--

Everyone but Tenchi and Mihoshi and the two queens were already seated at the table, and Ryoko was regaling everyone with her stories of the previous night with Tenchi. Nobuyuki, who'd made a surprise appearance was beaming, and Ayeka was scowling as might be expected. Washu, Sasami, and Kiyone all had frowns on their faces, too, an indication that Ryoko was laying it on thick.

"I'm telling you, by the end of the night he was fabulous. Now it took a lot of repetition, but you ladies are gonna be thanking me. You're all in for a treat. Just remember who did all the work, don't you ever accuse me of not pulling my weight again." Ryoko's face was lit up with her amusement, and the looks she was receiving just made it even more fun for her.

"Enough Ryoko! I'm sure we all look forward to enjoying a kiss from Lord Tenchi, but whether it is good or not will not be thanks to you. We are all quite capable of getting the kiss we want from him with a little patience and effort." Ayeka's demeanor had broken and she gave Ryoko a look that indicated pain and suffering were in her future.

"That's the spirit, Ayeka! Don't let Tenchi get away until he gets it right. It'll be good for him, a little suffering on the road to love. You girls give him hell, make him kiss you over and over again, as long as it takes!" Nobuyuki received nothing but cool glances from everyone for that statement, but he didn't even notice, he was so happy to hear Tenchi had finally given one of the girls a good kiss.

Ryoko pressed on with her story, ignoring the interruption. "Wait, wait, that was just after we got back to his house. Now let me tell you what happened in the bedroom..."

"I think that will do Ryoko."

Everyone's eyes snapped to the stairs where Funaho's voice had come from as she and Misaki made their way down.

"But I just wanted to let everyone know..."

"I said that was enough, Ryoko. What you and Tenchi may or may not have done in his bedroom is nobody's business but yours. I don't think Tenchi would appreciate you telling stories behind his back, now would he?"

"Well, I suppose not." Ryoko's glee fell from her face, she hadn't even gotten to lead everyone on for a while, Funaho had broken her fun.

"Good. New rule, ladies. No talking about what happens in the bedroom with Tenchi. I personally don't believe anything happened, but I don't need to listen to any of you spreading rumors just to upset everyone else. All right?"

"But I..." Ryoko spluttered, then came up short when she caught the look in Misaki's eyes.

"You disagree, Ryoko?"

Ryoko answered meekly, "Ah, no, I guess not."

Everyone else just nodded their head, except Nobuyuki who now looked disappointed. He still hadn't managed to even get a peek into Tenchi's house, whatever Washu had done was working perfectly to keep him away. He'd hoped Ryoko might reveal something that had happened in the bedroom.

"Good. Where is Tenchi, any way? Shouldn't he and Mihoshi be here by now?" Misaki looked a questioning gaze around the room.

Kiyone answered, "It's Mihoshi, remember? They're probably lost in the hills by now."

"That's hardly nice, Kiyone; though I do see your point." Misaki sat down with a small smile for Kiyone. "Should we send out a rescue party, or give them a few more minutes?"

"We wait!" Sasami eyed everyone sternly, making sure they all understood.

"Well, then... Since we're waiting, perhaps you'd like to fill us in on what you did to Ryo-Ohki?" Washu looked directly at Ryoko, catching her gaze with a look of pending malice.

"Huh? What are you talking about? I didn't do anything to Ryo-Ohki." Ryoko tore her eyes away from Washu to look at Ryo-Ohki, who was sitting on the floor next to Sasami. But as soon as Ryoko looked at her, Ryo-Ohki turned her face away, with her chin in the air.

"What's up, furball?"

With a lack of response, Ryoko tried accessing her link to Ryo-Ohki, but encountered only static. Ryo-Ohki was doing something to shut her out that way too.

"Obviously you did something, you good-for-nothing. Ryo-Ohki doesn't normally act this way."

"I don't know, 'MOM', she won't talk to me."

"Well, then, I think we can safely assume Ryo-Ohki is mad at you for something, and considering how you were acting yesterday, it probably has to do with Tenchi. You ignored her, didn't you?"

"I don't know, I treated her the same yesterday as I always do."

"Of course you did, that's why she's mad at you." The sarcasm was thick in Washu's voice. "I suppose I'll have to find out what you messed up from Ryo-Ohki myself, and then we'll deal with the problem. Can you visit my lab after breakfast, Ryo-Ohki?"

Ryo-Ohki "miya"-ed her approval for Washu, and then Mihoshi and Tenchi finally arrived. Mihoshi's outfit got a small buzz of interest, most notably from Nobuyuki.

"Well, what took the two of you so long to arrive? You weren't doing anything we shouldn't know about, were you?" Nobuyuki was looking at Tenchi when he said this, but it was Mihoshi who answered.

"No, I certainly don't think so. I was just looking at Tenchi's sketchbook while he cleaned up and then we talked a bit. That's hardly something we would keep a secret, is it? Stuff you keep secret is like the time Kiyone got drunk after we broke up a smuggling racket, and then she started walking through the streets..."

"Shut up Mihoshi! Grrr..."

"What, oh right, I'm supposed to keep that secret aren't I? Silly me. So any way, we weren't doing anything we'd need to keep secret. What could Tenchi and I do alone in his house that we'd need to keep secret?"

Noticing that Mihoshi was missing the smiles of amusement on everyone's face, Misaki got up to whisper in Mihoshi's ear, "sex".

"Ohhhh....." Mihoshi's face turned bright red, but she continued, "No, Tenchi didn't ask me to do that, so no we didn't. Maybe he will tonight, though."

"Go for it son, I know you can..." Nobuyuki broke off as Tenchi passed out and fell to the ground.

"Here we go again." Washu got up, reached into subspace to grab a hypo, and proceeded to shoot it into Tenchi's neck. He came to as she returned to her place.

"Unngghh! Geez, again? All right, dad, knock it off. Mihoshi, you can ignore them, they're just teasing us."

"They are? That's not very nice." Mihoshi turned an angry glare on everyone, which promptly started a round of chuckling from the table.

"It was meant in a nice way, Mihoshi, not to make you feel bad. They're all still your friends." Misaki settled herself back in her seat.

"Can we please just eat breakfast?" Sasami was tapping her utensils in impatience now, breakfast had been done for a long time and was probably cold by now.

"Yes, let's eat." Tenchi added a glare for everyone before sitting down between Mihoshi and Funaho.

Everyone ate quietly from there, only the normal chitchat filling the silence between noises of eating. Yosho and Nobuyuki were the first to leave, as would be expected.

"I'll see you later, Tenchi," Yosho called as he left the house.

"Time to go. I've got lots to do today." Nobuyuki rose to his feet but smiled at Mihoshi before turning to leave. "You don't necessarily have to wait for my son to ask Mihoshi, you could do the asking." Then he also left the house.

"When will he quit it? He'll never grow up, and he's over twice my age." Tenchi scowled after his father as he walked out the door. When he turned back to the table, he encountered Mihoshi's gaze with bright, wide, considering eyes. "Ahh..."

"You know, Tenchi, about what your father said..."

Tenchi looked into those big, blue, beautiful, pleading eyes, and felt his resolve starting to crumble.

"Forget it blondie! Tenchi's not ready yet, he's already said so. Right, Tenchi?"

Ryoko was first, but quickly eight pairs of female eyes (plus one pair of female cabbit eyes) were looking at Tenchi very intently, causing him to squirm. His hand moved to it's instinctual spot at the back of his head to begin rubbing nervously.

Tenchi took a deep breath, trying to calm his nerves. "Look-it's-time-to-get-to-the-fields-I'll-see-all-of-you-later-okay?" Then he bolted for the door.

"My, he does run fast sometimes, doesn't he? No wonder you ladies can't manage to corner him." Funaho was chuckling at the quick disappearance of Tenchi, and its effect on the ladies. Most were not taking it well.

"That boy's gonna have to make a move some day. And I don't mean running for the door. Well, Ryo-Ohki, coming?" Washu headed for her lab, followed by Ryo-Ohki hopping after her.

"Why would he run away like that, Kiyone? All I was going to do was ask him if he wanted to have dinner with me tonight?"

Mihoshi turned her glistening eyes on Kiyone, who sighed, and then answered, "Mihoshi, I think Tenchi was expecting you to ask something else."

Noticing the blank stare on Mihoshi's face, Misaki again leaned in close to whisper "sex" in her ear.

"Ohhhhh... I see now. But he's already said that he wasn't going to do that with any of us, so why would I ask him?"

"But, after Nobuyuki... then you... ah forget it. Let's just get ready for patrol, okay Mihoshi?" Kiyone threw up her hands, and started gathering plates from the table.

"Oh, I was thinking that maybe today I'd just stay here and do some sunbathing, Kiyone. It's my day with Tenchi, I don't really want to spend it in space. Besides, it's such a nice day. Come on, you should work on your tan a little bit too, you know, you're pretty pale."

"Mihoshi! Grrr..."

"Well, you are you know."

"I may be, Mihoshi, but we can't take time off from patrolling for something as pointless as that."

"But, Kiyone... When was the last time we actually had to do something on patrol? We can take a day off, it'd be good for you. You need to relax more often. Yukinojo will let us know if anything comes up."

"I..." Kiyone stopped what she was about to say and thought about what Mihoshi had said. Maybe she did need to relax, she hadn't taken the time off which she was certainly entitled to after that operation against Luigi Rudolpho. Now was a perfect opportunity, stuck out here in the middle of nowhere with no real work to do. "I don't have a bathing suit, Mihoshi," she finished.

"Oh, well, I could probably let you have one of mine. Oh, but it probably wouldn't fit, would it?" That earned a scowl from Kiyone as she crossed her arms over her chest, which Mihoshi never even noticed. "Hmmmmm... I know, we can go shopping this morning while Tenchi's working, and then we can suntan this afternoon. How about it?"

"Okay Mihoshi, I guess so. Aren't you worried about Tenchi seeing me on your day, though?"

"What? Oh that silly rule. No I don't mind. We're friends, I know you wouldn't try and take advantage of it."

"You two heard that, right?" Kiyone looked at the queens, who each nodded. "All right, then I guess we go shopping."

"Yay, this is gonna be so much fun."

Kiyone rolled her eyes. "Yeah, right, just like the last time. I don't think so. This time, I'm not trying on everything in the store, okay? Short and simple, that's it."

"But Kiyone..."

"No buts Mihoshi, that's all. Otherwise we don't go shopping." Kiyone gave Mihoshi her best stern look. She could see the turmoil working away inside Mihoshi. But there was no way she was going through a shopping experience like that with Mihoshi again...

Mihoshi finally relented, "Okay, Kiyone. You only try on what you want to. But it's gotta be cute." She perked up again, smiling at Kiyone. "Ready to go? We've got to hurry if we want to catch the best rays today."

Kiyone sighed again, but she felt better knowing she had her rule in place about the shopping. Then she noticed the looks she was getting from the rest. Ryoko had on her expected scowl, but it was Ayeka and Sasami who really surprised Kiyone. Ayeka was toying with the sleeve of her kimono, looking like a kid who was about to do something to get into trouble. Sasami looked disappointed for some reason.

"Ah, perhaps, ah, might I accompany you and Kiyone, Mihoshi? I, er, think I would like to do a little sunbathing myself, if you would not object. I, ah, well, I would like to even out the lines on my skin." Ayeka lifted the sleeve of her kimono to show how her hands were darker than her arms. She didn't want to allow her beautiful skin to become so flawed.

"Oh, that'd be really fun. Of course you can come Ayeka. You know, I can think of a few different suits I think would look really good on you, Ayeka. Hopefully we can find something like that, but we can always try on others..."

"Um, Mihoshi, I ah, well, I believe I would like to do as Miss Kiyone, and only try on a few that I think I would like."

"Huh? Oh, well, I guess if that's what you really want."

"Thank you, Mihoshi." Ayeka gave her own sigh of relief, which was short-lived.

"Aren't you forgetting something, Ayeka?" Misaki was giving Ayeka a hard glare, which caused Ayeka to jump back in fright.

"Ah, mother, ah, well, you're really here for Sasami, not me. I've already had my official training, I passed barely if you remember, so really, this is just some extra practice for me, not really required. I think that perhaps taking a break would be good for me..."

"You think so, do you? A break would be good for you? After all the time you spent pretending you didn't know how to fight, and now that you do, you think you can just take a break whenever you want to?"

"Well, ah, that is, yes?" Ayeka swallowed hard, and waited for the explosion with her eyes closed. After a few moments, she peeked out through one eye to see her mother smiling at her instead of the bulging-eyes-of-impending-doom she had been expecting.

"Of course you can, dear. You're old enough to make your own decisions." Misaki then leaned in close and whispered, "Just don't make a habit of crossing your mother." Leaning back again, the smile returned to her face. "Have fun."

"I'm going, too!" Sasami finally shouted her way into the conversation. The look this earned her from her mother, however, brought everyone's good mood to a halt.

"You, young lady, are in training. And you're certainly not going to skip practice to laze about getting a suntan in some skimpy piece of clothing. I'll not hear of it, not another..." Misaki stopped, as Funaho pulled the sleeve of her kimono and leaned in close.

"Tomorrow is her day, Misaki," she whispered. "You've decided she's old enough to attempt some kind of relationship with Tenchi. Is it going to matter if she skips a day?"

"But, this is her training. This is too important," Misaki whispered back.

"Oh, come on. It's a single day. Not only that, but between Yosho and Tenchi, and probably Ryoko and Kiyone too, they'll be able to keep her in practice long after we leave. We are going to have to go back eventually, you know. She'll be fine, let her have her fun. You can always make her suffer for it in practice again later."

"Hmmm, you may be right."

"Okay then," Misaki announced in a full voice again, addressing Sasami. "Your Aunt Funaho has convinced me that letting you join the others for the day will be all right. You'll of course be making up for it in future practices, but for today, you can spend it with the girls."

"Thanks, mommy! Thanks, Auntie Funaho!" Sasami threw herself into a hug encompassing the two queens, squeezing for all she was worth.

"Well, isn't this just cozy. You ladies have fun today, I'll keep an eye on Tenchi. Honestly, why you all think you need a swimsuit, any way. If you're gonna get a tan, you might as well get a tan everywhere. Me, I prefer the natural look. I look pretty good in a suit, but I look better out of it." Ryoko smiled evilly for effect, directing most of her gaze at Ayeka. "Some of you might not be able to say that, you're a little... lacking."

Ayeka heated up and was about to retort, but was beaten to the task by Mihoshi. "Lacking? If you don't have a suit, you'd be the one lacking, wouldn't you? You really don't make sense some times, Ryoko."

Kiyone pulled Mihoshi aside, to explain what Ryoko had meant as everyone broke up to go get their things together for the shopping trip. Only the two queens and Ryoko remained. Misaki placed herself in front of Ryoko with her hands on her hips, causing Ryoko to back up a step.

"I'll expect you to keep your distance from Tenchi, even with everyone else gone, Ryoko. That rule stands, regardless of whether Mihoshi is present or not. Do we understand each other?"

"Of course, I would never do anything to break the rules. I'm insulted you would think that of me. Don't worry your pretty little head, everything will be just fine."

"See that it is." Misaki turned away with a sniff, and Ryoko noticed the frown on Funaho's face as she turned to accompany Misaki. Obviously she suspected Ryoko was up to something. Ryoko had learned to deal with that, however. Everyone always suspected her of being up to something, and she usually got away with it regardless.

--

"Okay, Ryo-Ohki, I'm going to hook you up to this again. We've done this before, you know it won't hurt you. Good."

Washu attached the interface unit to Ryo-Ohki's head, and turned it on. Immediately the signal started transmitting to her monitor.

"Hmm, okay, let's go back to yesterday, okay Ryo-Ohki? I assume that's when whatever happened to cause you to get mad at Ryoko took place. Good, hmmm, working in the fields nothing there, let's keep going... Okay, now you're with Tenchi, and he's picking flowers. Not seeing it yet, keep going. Okay, Ryoko shows up and you run and hide. Fine. Keep going. Wait, the flowers are on the ground, and Tenchi and Ryoko aren't anywhere around. Okay, any more? So you wandered around a bit, then you climbed up by the shrine. Hmmm, someone was watching the grounds, I wonder what that is, probably nothing, but I'll amp up my sensors a bit, and maybe have Ayeka warn the guardians. All right, that was it, huh? So I assume it must have been the flowers, huh?"

"Miya," Ryo-Ohki agreed.

"So, show me what it was about the flowers that upset you so much. Okay, you got Tenchi to pick them, and he was going to give them to Ryoko? Okay, then Ryoko did something to cause Tenchi to drop them? Wait, you think she just laughed when he offered her the flowers so he dumped them on the ground? Hmmm, I know my daughter is callous, and flowers might not be her thing, but I doubt she would've laughed at Tenchi over that. No, my guess is she grabbed him and he dropped the flowers by accident. What do you think?"

"Mreowr?"

"No, no, you have to think it, I can't communicate with you the same as Ryoko. Think it so I can see it on the monitor."

Ryo-Ohki concentrated, and a visual image of Ryoko with an evil-looking face whisking Tenchi away, and the flowers dropping to the ground appeared.

"Hmmm, so even though she might not have done it on purpose, you're still mad at her? Why is that?"

Ryo-Ohki concentrated again causing a new image to form on the monitor. This time Ryoko had a sweet, innocent face with a smile for Tenchi, and Ryo-Ohki hopping along beside the two of them as they walked hand in hand.

"Ah, I see. So you were trying to help out Ryoko by getting Tenchi to give her flowers, then? If she'd gotten the flowers from him, you'd have all been happy together, is that it? And because she screwed up so that he didn't give them to her, you're mad at her? Well, it's all starting to make sense. Now the question is, what do we do about it?"

Washu disconnected her monitor, materialized a thinking cap into place on Ryo-Ohki's head, and sat down on the lab chair which was always available in her lab.

"All right, I've got it. First off, I have to say I'm a little miffed that you chose to help Ryoko over me." Ryo-Ohki's face turned a little red through her fur. "But seeing as you're connected to her and not me, I guess I can understand that, even if I did create you. Now then, since you're siding with Ryoko against me, I'm not going to give you any suggestions for how to help her get Tenchi. But I am going to give you a suggestion. Don't come up with any plans on your own, let Ryoko know what you're doing. She's gonna screw them up, otherwise, you know how she is. I'll tell Ryoko what you were trying to do, and hopefully she'll be smart enough to come and apologize to you. If she does that, will you quit ignoring her again?"

Nodding, Ryo-Ohki gave her "Miya" of approval.

"Good, then. Let's go find out what kind of trouble those ladies have gotten themselves into without us around to keep them straight, all right?"

"Mi-ya!"

--

"I am never going shopping with you again! Ever! Grrr..."

Kiyone stalked back to the house, ignoring the crying Mihoshi as she did so. She wished she'd known better than to go shopping with Mihoshi again. It had been as bad as a few days ago, store after store, suit after suit. Of course Sasami had been no help, just like before. Kiyone suspected she had been helping Mihoshi out just for the fun of it. She did seem to like playing pranks on people. Fortunately Ayeka had been there for at least one other voice of sanity. Until that last store any way.

"Kiyone? Wait, Kiyone? Waaahhhh!"

"It's all right Mihoshi, she's just a little mad right now." Sasami did her best to comfort Mihoshi, feeling a little guilty now that she'd pushed Kiyone so hard while they were shopping. Inevitably it was Mihoshi feeling the brunt of Kiyone's anger, instead of Sasami herself when she'd instigated much of the activity which so irritated Kiyone.

Ayeka hurried to catch up to Kiyone, seeing that Sasami was going to have her hands full with Mihoshi for a bit. "Ah, Miss Kiyone? Could I speak with you for a moment?"

Kiyone paused, surprised to be being addressed by Ayeka. From what she could recall, the two of them had barely spoken much at all since Kiyone had arrived on the Earth. Unable to drop her anger entirely, she turned to Ayeka with a glare and a harsh "What?"

Ayeka started from the angry response she received from Kiyone, and she felt a little of her own anger rising. It was not right for Kiyone to address her in that manner, she had not been the one egging Kiyone on to try on suit after suit when she so clearly did not want to. But reasoning that she should have put in a hand to restrain Sasami somewhat, she accepted it gracefully as always.

"I'm sure Miss Mihoshi had no intentions of making you so unhappy. She is quite obviously desperate for your friendship. Perhaps your anger towards Mihoshi is a little misplaced in this case?"

Kiyone took a deep breath, trying to calm herself down so she didn't speak so harshly to Ayeka when she clearly was not at fault. "I know she doesn't do it intentionally, Ayeka, I just get so frustrated sometimes. She just never seems to catch on to how different I am from her. Shopping is not something I grew up with a taste for. We never had enough money for me to do any, and I didn't have time for it even if I'd actually had any money. I was always helping out around my parents' shop. In a sense, I ought to enjoy it now that I actually have the opportunity, but it feels like such a waste of time. Unfortunately, Mihoshi rarely takes time into consideration, she moves at her own pace."

Ayeka nodded at the accurate description. She had a few other things to say on the matter, though, things she wasn't really comfortable with. "I can understand your position, but again, perhaps your anger is a bit misplaced in this case. Did you happen to notice who was pulling most of the suits which Mihoshi was having you try on?"

Kiyone thought back to the shopping for a moment, and realized that she had been correct in suspecting it was Sasami as much as Mihoshi who had been putting her through all that. She'd been the one handing armfuls of swimsuits to Mihoshi, who then made Kiyone try them on. It was interesting that Ayeka was pointing this out. Kiyone had never detected any real fondness between the two women, Ayeka seemed to get as exasperated by Mihoshi as Kiyone herself did. You would expect her to defend her sister and blame Mihoshi.

"I'm not sure I follow what you're getting at, Ayeka? Are you suggesting I should be blaming your sister?"

Ayeka sighed, she didn't like doing this, but it was probably time for Sasami to start growing up. She was so mature so much of the time, not to mention her apparent physical age, that you forgot how old she really was.

"Unfortunately, I am. I'm afraid Mihoshi forgot all about your promise due to the excitement she felt from my sister's prompting. And Sasami should have known better, she knew you didn't want to try on all of that. I'm not sure that she did it intentionally, she appears to enjoy shopping as much as Mihoshi. Unlike Mihoshi, she usually shows a good amount of common sense. I will speak to her if you prefer, but I thought if perhaps you were the one to tell her it might hold a little more weight. Her mother and I have been scolding Sasami for most of her life, and it usually has little effect. I hate to ask this of you, but I think it would be to Sasami's eventual benefit. She needs to grow up with everything that is coming in her life. Especially if she's truly going to try a relationship with Tenchi in the future." Ayeka gritted her teeth momentarily. "She needs to be able to act with more maturity than she probably has yet, and her impending merger with Tsunami is possibly going to be very trying. She acts without much thought to the consequences frequently, and I am hoping you might help me point that out to her."

Kiyone had listened in amazement to this speech. Ayeka really was hoping she would help her in scolding Sasami. The notion of anyone having to scold the super-sweet Sasami was strange enough in itself. That she would expect Kiyone to be the one to help was extremely surprising.

"Well, I'm not sure I'm comfortable with that. Normally that's what mothers are for, and failing that, family." Kiyone looked at Ayeka, seeing the discomfort in her eyes also. "But I can understand your point, taking advice from your mother is tough, it's probably even worse from a sister. I'll give it a shot, I guess, but I hope I'm not ruining a friendship with Sasami."

"I doubt it will get that extreme. Sasami is a very reasonable girl, she is just young. But you're right, I shouldn't be asking this of you. Perhaps it would be best if we did it together." Ayeka looked back at her sister who seemed to have been successful getting Mihoshi's crying stopped. Kiyone followed her gaze, and realized she might owe Mihoshi an apology as well. She and Ayeka turned to nod at each other, and then walked together back to the other two ladies.

Sasami noticed their approach first. She saw a look of determination on Ayeka's and Kiyone's faces and felt some butterflies forming in her stomach. She somehow suspected what was coming was going to be directed at herself, not Mihoshi.

"Mihoshi, can Ayeka and I have a moment with Sasami?" Seeing the confused and fearful look in Mihoshi's eyes, she continued, "I'm sorry Mihoshi, I'm not mad at you any more. We just need to speak with Sasami for a minute. Okay?"

"O-okay."

Ayeka pulled Sasami to the side a bit, but before either she or Kiyone could say anything, Sasami burst out "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to make you angry, Kiyone. I was just having so much fun, and it seemed so funny at the time watching you get redder and redder. I should have known better. I'm so sorry!"

Sasami threw herself at Kiyone, wrapping her in a hug which quickly had Kiyone gasping for breath. Even Mihoshi couldn't squeeze her that hard, and she had a bone-cracking grip.

Ayeka chuckled momentarily seeing the tough police officer trapped in Sasami's embrace, unable to get away. Then she stepped in to break it up. "Gentle, Sasami," she chided.

Sasami relaxed and Kiyone quickly sucked in air as the purple faded from her face. With her own face lowered, Sasami said, "I'm sorry Ayeka, I know you're disappointed in me. I'll try and behave better from now on."

Ayeka had to fight to keep a stern look on her face, it was so difficult to be angry with Sasami. "Well, I see you've learned your lesson this time. Miss Kiyone is a nice person, and your prank made her angry so that she yelled at Mihoshi. I think you have one apology left to go, Sasami."

Sasami looked up with glistening eyes and glanced over to where Mihoshi was nervously pacing with a distraught face. "Yeah, you're right, big sister. Mihoshi didn't deserve this, I'll go apologize now."

"We all will." Kiyone smiled at Sasami for encouragement.

The three of them walked back to Mihoshi, who was now wringing her hands with tears standing in her eyes. As they approached she started hopping back and forth, from one foot to the other.

"Mihoshi? I'm really sorry I got you into trouble with Kiyone. I shouldn't have pushed you to bug her so much with all those suits. I thought it was funny at the time, but it really wasn't. I shouldn't have done it. I'm really, really sorry." Sasami hung her head in shame waiting to hear what Mihoshi had to say.

"Oh, that's okay Sasami. I forgive you." Sasami looked up at Mihoshi, both had tears glistening in their eyes.

Kiyone and Ayeka were standing on either side of the two. A glance at both of them, and then at each other, and they jumped back as far as they could. They got out of the way just in time to avoid being caught in the hug as Mihoshi and Sasami crashed together.

Kiyone shuddered, witnessing the near-violence with which the two women embraced each other. She shared a smile with Ayeka, then approached the two carefully, and laid a hand on each woman's shoulder. "I'm sorry, too, Mihoshi. I shouldn't have lost my temper with you. I'm just not used to shopping like that, I need to learn to relax a little more. I'll go shopping with you again some time, just maybe not with you and Sasami looking for clothes, okay?"

Mihoshi and Sasami broke their embrace, and turned to look at Kiyone with those tears still glistening in their eyes.

"Thank you, Kiyone," the two said in unison.

Kiyone turned and fled for the house, yelling "You're welcome" back over her shoulder as she did so. She'd seen the monster hug coming from the two of them, and didn't know if her ribs could take it. Discretion had won out, and she'd escaped, leaving the two staring after her in confusion.

Ayeka quietly approached the two, and said "Well, it's good to see this is settled." Ayeka bent and picked up the bags full of swimsuits which had been dropped during all the activity, and started for the house. "We should probably get back, it will soon be lunch time, I suspect. I think we can all help you if you'd like, Sasami."

"Oh, lunch, I almost forgot. Let's hurry up!" Sasami started running for the house, as well, leaving Mihoshi and Ayeka following behind.

"Thank you, Ayeka. That was really nice what you did back there, for all of us."

Ayeka barely contained her surprise. You never knew what Mihoshi was going to pick up on and what she wouldn't.

"You're welcome, Mihoshi."

--

Tenchi arrived at the house after briefly cleaning up at his own. Everyone was seated for lunch already, Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki seemed to have made up as Ryo-Ohki was sitting between her and Sasami hopefully watching the carrot sitting on the table in front of her. Tenchi found his place between Mihoshi and Misaki and sat down as everyone started eating.

A quiet meal passed as Tenchi steeled himself to make an apology. "Ladies. All I can say is 'I'm sorry' to all of you, and especially to you Mihoshi for running away when you were talking to me. It wasn't very polite."

Everyone's eyes turned to regard Mihoshi, awaiting her response.

"Well... it wasn't very nice of you to run away like that. But I understand now why you did it. And I like you too much to stay mad at you any way. So, it's okay Tenchi, I forgive you."

With his cheeks now bright red, Tenchi answered, "Thanks, Mihoshi."

Everyone relaxed with that, and smiles broke out on most faces. "I knew we shouldn't have left it to Mihoshi," Ryoko whispered to Kiyone. Kiyone just answered with a nod and a roll of her eyes.

"Since you're not going to run away now, though, I'm gonna ask you what I wanted to this morning." Mihoshi looked intently at Tenchi, causing him to squirm.

"Uh, Mihoshi, I don't think that's a good idea, not in front of everyone, and besides I've already told you I can't do that yet."

"Not that, silly. What I wanted to ask you was whether you and I could have dinner together tonight? Of course what you were thinking I was going to ask would be fun, too. I don't understand why you say you can't though. Unless you've got some kind of problem we don't know about. You don't have any kind of problem with your..."

"NO I DON'T!!!" Tenchi had somehow gotten even redder in the face.

"Well, then, it really seems strange that you would say you can't. I mean, really, you ought to say something like 'I choose not to', then we wouldn't misunderstand you. It's so much clearer that way. Is that what you really meant?"

Holding his head in his hands, Tenchi just answered, "Yes."

"There, now, see. You said you choose not to, that's all cleared up. Now none of us will misunderstand and think you have a problem with your..."

"Mihoshi!" Misaki was holding her hands over Sasami's ears, looking angrily at Mihoshi. Everyone else was just snickering, including Sasami. Except Tenchi, who slumped into his arms on the table.

"What?" Mihoshi colored briefly with a glance at Sasami. "Oh. Well any way, Tenchi?

"Huh? What?"

"I'm still waiting."

"Waiting?"

"Honestly, you're so dense." Eyes rolled all around the table and people struggled to contain their laughter at this statement from Mihoshi. "Will you have dinner with me tonight?"

"Ohhh. Right, you did ask me that. Um, yeah, I'd like that, I guess. Is that okay, Sasami, can we get ours made so that we can take it back to my place?"

Sasami's brow wrinkled in what might be taken for a frown, a look not often seen on her face. Then the smile popped back into place. "You betcha, Tenchi!"

"Thanks Sasami."

"Hey, wait a minute. How come you didn't make dinner for Tenchi and me?" shouted Ryoko.

(THUMP)

As the 20 pound bag of rice dropped on Ryoko's head, Washu answered with a shake of her head, "Obviously because you weren't smart enough to ask her to. Sometimes I wonder if I don't need to send you to remedial school. I think you missed out on some education along the way."

"Thanks, mom. I'm glad you're sticking up for your own daughter." Ryoko threw the bag to ground, brushing stray grains of rice out of her hair.

"Well, quite frankly, I'm a little upset that I didn't think of that, either. What I could have done with all that extra time alone with Tenchi..." Washu batted her eyes at Tenchi and blew him a kiss.

"It's nice to know you can't think of everything." Ryoko muttered quietly.

(THUMP)

"Honestly, why do you even bother? You know I can tell what you're saying by monitoring my link to you. Someone needed to spank you when you were a child."

Amused chuckles escaped from most of those present, causing Ryoko's frown to deepen into a scowl. She threw the second bag down again, then raised her chin and crossed her arms, glaring at Washu, who just ignored her.

"Well, it's about time I headed home to wash and change for my studies this afternoon. You girls, uh, have fun, okay?" Tenchi walked to the door, making his exit.

"Ouch!" Mihoshi jumped in the air, and turned to face Funaho who had just poked her. "Lady Funaho, that wasn't nice."

"If you don't hurry you won't catch up to him, Mihoshi." Funaho glanced at the doorway where Tenchi was disappearing.

"Oh, right, thanks!" Mihoshi dashed out, only knocking over one plant in the process.

"Why did you help her out, Aunt Funaho?" asked Ayeka.

"All of you girls are taking advantage of her sweet nature to intrude on her day, and you're upset with me for nudging Mihoshi to an extra few minutes with Tenchi? Really, Ayeka, that's quite petty." Funaho rarely scolded Ayeka, letting Misaki discipline her own daughters, but she felt this case was warranted. She saw the agreeing nod from Misaki and was glad to know her sister queen agreed with her.

"Hey, hey, what's this talk about taking advantage of Mihoshi?" Washu perked up with interest at some unexpected news.

"Well, ahh..." Kiyone started, but couldn't finish.

"You see, we're, ahh..." Ayeka also stammered.

"Oh for crying out loud! They're all suntanning with Mihoshi this afternoon. They went shopping for swimsuits this morning and everything." Ryoko's obvious amusement at what they were doing was readily apparent to all, earning frowns from Kiyone and Ayeka.

"Suntanning, huh? I haven't laid around a beach in, oh, maybe six thousand years. Hmmm, sounds interesting. I had a lot of data to input this afternoon, but I can probably postpone it til after dinner tonight. Count me in! Just let me see if I can't flash-grow some palm trees down by the lake and we're all set."

"Little Washu? Perhaps growing palm trees here isn't such a good idea. I don't believe they're native to the area. It might draw some unwanted attention?" Funaho had immediately seen the flaw in Washu's plan, and hoped to avoid any problems.

"Ah, don't worry about it, I'll get rid of them when we're done. Hmm, I have some really nice white sand stored away somewhere, too. You can never have too much silicon available. I'll just dump all that on the shore..." Washu started walking back to her lab, running through all the things that needed to be done to get the lake shore ready for an afternoon of good sunbathing.

"So, I guess we might as well all go change, then? Where'd the suits end up, Ayeka?" Kiyone started glancing around looking for them.

"I placed them over by the door, Kiyone. Just a moment, I'll go get them." Ayeka walked over to pick them up, handing a bag to Sasami and Kiyone, and keeping one for herself.

"Hah! Losers. Afraid to go with the natural look, huh?" Ryoko chuckled at everyone, again earning frowns, though Sasami's cheeks colored with embarrassment, as well.

"I think we'll have to rule against that, Ryoko. Unless Mihoshi does so, you will not be allowed to do that as it is her day." Misaki gave Ryoko a meaningful look, then turned to the stairs. "You girls run along, Funaho and I will be down shortly."

"What??!!" Kiyone, Ryoko, Ayeka, and Sasami all blurted in unison.

"We'll be joining you at this beach that Washu puts together of course. With all of you ladies in skimpy clothing, the situation will need to be monitored of course, in case Tenchi should wander by. We can't have anyone breaking the rules, now, can we? Ahh, I haven't lounged by a beach in many years, myself, have you Funaho?"

"No, I imagine it's the same for me as it was for you. What, sixty or seventy years now, that little resort on, oh what planet was that? The one with the funny-looking fish and the waiters with bad accents."

"Yes, that was it wasn't it?"

Misaki and Funaho disappeared up the stairs, leaving behind the four dumbstruck ladies and one amazed cabbit.

--

As he approached the house, Tenchi paused at the amazing sight before him. Where there was usually a bare lake shore between the two houses, now there was a white sandy beach and some palm trees. And a whole bunch of barely-dressed women.

Tenchi enjoyed himself watching for a bit before anyone noticed him. Not surprisingly, Ryoko had the most daring suit on, a dark blue bikini with no straps that barely covered anything. Mihoshi's wasn't too far behind, the pink bikini only having the thin shoulder straps that really didn't cover any more. Interestingly, Washu, back in her young woman form, was also in a bikini, though the red suit was a touch less daring than the other two. Only a touch.

Ayeka, Kiyone, and Sasami all had on single-piece suits which covered a lot more skin, though not enough to make Tenchi comfortable. And the two queens were there, also wearing suits which left Tenchi's face flushed, really seeing them for the two beautiful women they were for the first time.

Perhaps the worst thing of all, though, was Ryo-Ohki. She was in her adult form, sitting and playing in the wet sand, apparently building something. Someone had loaned her a pair of shorts and a tank top, and with those on she looked even more like a sexy woman than he remembered, an idea he shuddered to even think about.

Tenchi pried his eyes away from the sight before him, and looked for a way to get around them and back to his house without being noticed. He started turning to try and go around the backs of the houses, when Ryo-Ohki spotted him.

"Miya, miya! Miya, mi-ya!" Ryo-Ohki lurched to her feet, and then promptly fell down again.

"Oh, Ryo-Ohki!" Sasami hurried over to assist Ryo-Ohki, while everyone finally noticed Tenchi's presence. They all sat up from wherever they had been laying and waved to Tenchi. Mihoshi, however jumped up and excitedly bounded over to him. Watching her, Tenchi almost felt like she was moving in slow motion. The sight of Mihoshi bouncing in a tiny pink bikini as she ran across the sand was too much, and Tenchi knew the blood was about to start leaking from his nose. He'd expected that, though, and his hand was pinching his nose before anything came out.

"Hiya, Tenchi, welcome back. It's been wonderful, it was so warm and sunny today. Too bad you couldn't have joined us, we could have had lots of fun today. Everyone was here, and we all have new bathing suits. Well, except for Ryoko and Washu, I think they just created theirs or something. Well, and the queens must have brought their own along, I didn't know they had any cause they didn't go shopping with us but they had some, so they must have brought them, right? Oh, and I guess Ryo-Ohki doesn't have a suit, but I let her borrow some of my clothes. I don't know why it really matters, she's covered with fur after all, but Ayeka and Ryoko were most insistent that she had to wear something. Come on, you should go change into a suit and come join us. Oh, you're holding your nose again, are you sure you're not getting a cold? Maybe we ought to take you into the house and give you some medicine."

"Erm, ngo, zhat's okay, I'm vine." Tenchi's cheeks brightened as he lowered his head in embarrassment.

"Was that Mantrovian? That sounded like Mantrovian. How did you learn to speak Mantrovian living here..."

Risking his nose momentarily, Tenchi let go and repeated, "No, that's okay, I'm fine. Just an itch, I think."

"Oh, well, okay. Come on then, let's go get you into a suit so you can come play with us."

Mihoshi grabbed him tightly by the arm, causing it to rub against her in ways Tenchi didn't want to think about, and she started dragging him back to his house. He didn't resist, but he was hoping to get himself under a bit of control before they got back.

When they arrived, he quickly dug through his clothes til he found his swimsuit, and then started to pull his shirt off when he realized Mihoshi was standing there watching. "Uh, Mihoshi?"

"Yes, Tenchi?"

"Ah, well, I need to change."

"Uh, huh."

"I, that is, you're watching."

"Oh! Sorry!"

Tenchi watched her leave, her cheeks bright red with apparent embarrassment, then he closed the door. After quickly changing, he emerged to find her staring at his door, and then at him. He stepped over, and said, "Shall we go?"

"Oh! Sorry!"

Tenchi gave her a puzzled look as the two walked back outside and back to the new beach. They arrived to find everyone again relaxing in the sun, even Ryo-Ohki who appeared to have fallen asleep.

Bottles of sunscreen and moisturizer were dropped here and there, and everyone's towel was arranged neatly. Washu was laying on a floating rest of some kind with a keyboard hovering below her, typing away at something or other Tenchi knew he wouldn't comprehend, but still catching the sunshine. The two queens had chosen a shady spot underneath one of the palm trees, not caring to actually tan, but preferring to just enjoy the warm weather.

"Hey, Tenchi!" Sasami waved excitedly, causing some movements Tenchi quickly turned his eyes from.

"Hi Sasami. It looks like you ladies had a relaxing day?"

"Sure did, Tenchi," answered Sasami. "How come you're back so early? You usually don't get back til supper time."

"Well, grandpa let me go early today cause things went really well. I guess now we know why none of you showed up."

"It's good to hear your education is going well, Tenchi. I still say I could teach you a lot of things much more interesting than that, but at least you're doing well. Some day maybe you'll come to your senses, and I'll start teaching you about chemistry." That earned a round of groans from everyone. Washu winked at Tenchi, causing him to blush, as he again tried to find someplace to look besides directly at any of the ladies present.

"But, didn't you already learn chemistry in school, Tenchi?" Mihoshi asked.

"I'm talking about a little more specialized form of chemistry Mihoshi, exothermic reactions in particular."

That caused a frown to appear on Mihoshi's face, but she quickly moved on. "Okay, then, whatever you say. I think it's great that you're following your grandfather's example, Tenchi. Come on, I've got plenty of room on my towel, you can catch some sun next to me."

Tenchi blushed furiously, then answered, "Er, actually, I think I might go swimming."

"Oh, well, if you want to."

Catching the disappointment in her voice, Tenchi quickly added, "I'll be back soon, Mihoshi, and it'll be nice to dry off in the sun. If you don't mind me getting your towel wet, that is."

"That's okay, Tenchi. Go ahead, I don't mind." Mihoshi's face returned to her customary smile.

Tenchi quickly headed for the water, relieved to get a chance to get away from all the near-naked ladies and cool off. All of the ladies in question watched him go. Ryoko whistled.

"Wow, I never really stopped to consider how much Tenchi has filled out lately. He's got a little of his father's build finally, but all the exercise has been turning it into muscle. He's hot!"

"Yes, he is very good-looking, isn't he?" Ayeka agreed.

"Mm-hmm," Sasami said, earning herself a stern look from her mother.

A round of nods from everyone and they were all smiling, all but the queens thinking thoughts they didn't want to voice in front of the others.

"Yeah..." Mihoshi sighed. "I noticed it in the house just a while ago. He's all grown up, isn't he? He was just cute when I first got here, but now he's really handsome. I bet all the girls must go for him."

Everyone looked strangely at Mihoshi for a moment, and then burst out laughing.

"Um, Mihoshi? All the girls do go for him. Here, any way." Kiyone continued to laugh at Mihoshi, but took pity on her enough to point out her ridiculous statement.

Mihoshi blushed a bit, then said, "Oh, yeah, we do, don't we?"

They all watched as Tenchi swam around a bit, holding their breath every time he dove below the water and didn't come back up for a few moments. Finally Tenchi made his way to shore, and sat down next to a near-giddy Mihoshi.

"Here, Tenchi, let me put some sunscreen on you."

Mihoshi grabbed a bottle of sunscreen, and squeezed some out into her hand. Tenchi squirmed a bit under her attention, and everyone else's jealous looks, as she rubbed it on his back, but he put up with it as well as he could. When she finally finished, he let out the breath he'd been holding, and laid down next to her to enjoy the pleasant warmth of the sun on his back.

Everyone again just reclined in the sun, the only sound the clicking and beeping of Washu's keyboard, and the light snoring coming from Ryo-Ohki. Tenchi quickly found himself falling asleep, and didn't attempt to stop it.

He had no idea how long he'd been asleep when he was awoken by Sasami announcing her need to go start dinner. He stood up and rubbed his eyes momentarily, then watched silently as she bounded back to the house.

"Ahem." The sound of Misaki's voice right beside him caused him to jump, and he guiltily blushed, having been caught ogling Sasami. He then turned away to avoid looking at Sasami's mother in a bathing suit. Of course the view he next encountered wasn't any better as Mihoshi had appeared next to him on the other side, forcing him to look up into the air.

"I guess it's time to go, then. We can get cleaned up before dinner. I wonder what Sasami's going to make tonight? I hope it's yummy."

"If Sasami's making it, it's definitely going to be yummy. Well, ladies, I'll see you all tonight, er, well maybe tomorrow I guess." Remembering his dinner date with Mihoshi, Tenchi made a point to say goodnight to everyone, unsure if he would see them til the morning. By the time he was done, his face was bright red from the charge of facing all the scantily-clad ladies.

"I'll be over as soon as I've taken a bath and grabbed some clothes, Tenchi. And I'll bring supper, of course."

"All right, Mihoshi. See you then."

--

Tenchi was lounging on the couch, paging through his sketchbook when Mihoshi arrived. He hadn't had time lately to even think about doing any sketches, and it was nice to remind himself how much he'd enjoyed having the leisure to do something like that. Lately, he hadn't had time to think, his only spare moments lately had been spent sleeping on the beach this afternoon.

He grabbed dishes from Mihoshi, marveling that they all still seemed to be there and unbroken, and brought them to the tiny table sitting in his kitchen. He'd never made use of it or the kitchen yet, so this would be a first.

"Mmmmm, this smells good. Another Sasami special, huh?"

"Yep. I can't wait."

Tenchi rummaged until he found some chopsticks and then they sat down to enjoy the meal.

"Yummy, this fish is scrumptious." Mihoshi's eyes nearly rolled back in her head as she swooned over the delicious food. Tenchi smiled at her obvious delight, not being too far from the same reaction himself. The sight of the beautiful Mihoshi in front of him with nobody else around was a treat in its own right, and mixed with the fabulous food Sasami had made, he felt good.

"It sure is."

"Tenchi? Why did you decide to be a priest like your grandfather?" Mihoshi shoveled more food into her mouth, waiting for his answer.

"Hmm. That's a tough one to answer specifically, but mainly it's because I wanted to stick around here to be close to everyone, I guess. I know some day I'll probably have to go to Jurai. I don't know if I'll have to stay there, but I'll have to leave for a while. Grandpa's not going back, at least he says he's not, and I doubt my dad would want to leave, so I'd like to spend as much time around them as I can. And I suppose, I don't really know what you ladies will do when it is time for me to go. I know Ayeka and Sasami can go back of course, but what about the rest of you? I assume you and Kiyone will go back to the Galaxy Police and whatever you did there, and Washu will just find her own place somewhere she can work mostly undisturbed. I'm not sure about Ryoko, I doubt she'd want to go to Jurai, I would think there'd be too many bad memories there, and I'm not sure how well she would fit in. I like the way it feels here right now with all of you around. I'm not ready to give that up and move away before I have to."

He looked up at Mihoshi after his long speech to see tears in her eyes. "What's wrong, did I say something bad?"

"Y-you said you assumed Kiyone and I would just go back to the Galaxy Police. You've already decided on someone else, haven't you? It's Ayeka or Sasami, they're the only ones who'd fit in when you move to Jurai. Waaahhhh!"

As the tears started pouring out of her eyes, Tenchi jumped to his feet to go over and try to comfort her. He knelt down beside her, and reached out to lift up her chin with his left hand so he was looking into her eyes. "I haven't chosen anyone Mihoshi. I just said that whole thing wrong. Now, I won't lie, I might not choose you, and if I don't, then I would assume you would go back to the Galaxy Police. But I might choose you, too. And if I did, I guess I would hope you would come with me to Jurai, at least some of the time. I don't know that I'm going to fit in on Jurai either, you know."

Mihoshi stopped crying, and sniffled, "R-really. You haven't picked anyone yet?"

"No, Mihoshi, I haven't. I'm sorry, I shouldn't have said it that way, I didn't want to make you cry."

"Oh... Tenchi!!"

Mihoshi flung herself at him, tackling him to the floor in a hug. For the first time ever, Tenchi found himself not irritated to be lying on the ground with Mihoshi on top of him. He was having a different reaction, actually, and it was making him nervous.

As Mihoshi lifted her face from his cheek to again look him in the eyes, he once again marveled at how big and blue they were. The innocence in her eyes was astounding for someone who'd spent her life as a police officer. Kiyone's eyes were usually tough. They'd softened up some since she got here, even more when they'd actually been alone, but they didn't hold Mihoshi's innocence.

They looked each other in the face for a while before both their cheeks reddened and then Mihoshi started giggling.

"We've ended up like this a lot of times, haven't we Tenchi? I'm so clumsy, I'm always knocking you down. You don't hate me, do you?"

"Of course not, Mihoshi. I like you a lot. I know you don't do it on purpose." Mihoshi's cheeks brightened a bit for some reason, but he continued. "You're so nice Mihoshi, no one could not like you."

"You're so sweet Tenchi."

Tenchi smiled at her and answered, "You are too, you know. Um, maybe we should finish eating?"

"Oh, my! I almost forgot." Mihoshi lifted herself off of Tenchi, and scooted back to her spot at the table, waiting just long enough for Tenchi to get into place and then she started eating again.

Tenchi just smiled as he watched, still not understanding how she could eat like she did and still look like that. She ought to be hugely fat with an appetite like she had. He was glad she wasn't though, she was certainly beautiful. The occasional "mmmm" and "yummy" which escaped brought out a chuckle in him as he ate, much more calmly.

Finally the meal was done, and they both worked quickly to clean the dishes up as best they could with the limited resources available in Tenchi's house. He hadn't really planned on eating here much at all, and hadn't brought in many of the things he would need in the short time he'd been living in his own house.

"So what did you want to do now? I've got the TV, I suppose, and a few movies. We can talk, of course, I'd love to know more about you. Whaddya say?"

"Well... I was hoping you might do that sketch of me you promised. We can still talk while you're doing that, right?"

"Oh, you wanted me to start tonight? I thought maybe you'd want to do some other stuff on our first night, but if that's what you wanted, I suppose I'll try. I may be pretty quiet while I'm working, but we can chat a little bit. Let me just find my stuff, and I'll turn on all the lights."

Tenchi went to the small storage room in his house and rummaged through a few of the boxes he had yet to unpack, knowing his drawing pencils had to be in there somewhere. Eventually he found them, and returned to the living room only to freeze. She was still dressed in her low-cut pink top and short khaki shorts, but she was posed with her hands behind her back and a cute little grin on her face that made her look even more adorable than usual.

"So, how do you want me?"

"Er, what's that?" Tenchi's eyes popped as she rocked up and down from her heels to her toes, causing jiggles and bounces of an extremely distracting nature.

"How do you want me to pose? I assume you want me to pose somehow. Just let me know, I'll do whatever you want me to."

Tenchi blinked hard, not quite sure if he'd really heard the invitation for her to do more than just pose for him. If it had been Ryoko certainly, or Washu, he wouldn't have been as surprised, but Mihoshi just didn't do things like that. Not that he could recall, any way.

"I, ah, well, what kind of portrait did you have in mind, I guess? Did you want it of just your face, or did you want it to be your whole body, erm..."

"Oh, definitely my whole body. I'd like that. What should I do, then?"

Mihoshi looked at him with those innocent eyes which seemed even bigger and wider than usual. Tenchi thought he could still see a bit of the grin hiding inside of her smile, though. So, she was playing a game with him then, was she? Tenchi barely hid his grin as he planned out his response.

"Well, then, I guess if you want it to be your whole body, we should maybe pose you then, right?" Receiving a nod, he continued, "So, let me think, how about you sit down on the couch. No wait, why don't you lie down on your left side, facing me. Yeah, kind of like that. What do you think?"

"Whatever you say, Tenchi, I trust you. I know you'll do a good job."

"Well, then, yeah I like that pose there. Okay then, take off your clothes."

It was Mihoshi's turn to blink hard, and Tenchi could barely keep from laughing as she looked at him with the surprise obvious on her face. Tenchi wasn't ready for her next move though, as she shrugged, and said "OK." Then she sat up and started unbuttoning her shorts. He was so shocked, he barely managed to find his voice in time to stop her from dropping them completely.

"Stop! I was just kidding." He tried not to stare at her but he couldn't help himself. He didn't even notice the blood trickling from his nose for the first few seconds, and he quickly whirled around in embarrassment and shame, both for his rudeness in staring, and his reaction to it. So much for his great ideas, he'd nearly taken utter advantage of sweet Mihoshi by trying to play a joke on her.

"Are you sure, Tenchi? I don't mind if you want to draw me that way, really."

Grabbing a tissue, Tenchi wiped his nose off, surprised at how quickly it had stopped. Not worrying about that now, though, he answered, "Mihoshi, I really didn't mean it. I thought you were playing a joke on me, so I tried to turn it back on you. I didn't think you'd actually take your clothes off."

Then Tenchi heard her giggling, and slowly turned back around to face her, not understanding why she was laughing at him.

"Hee, hee. I was poking fun at you, Tenchi. I didn't think you'd go for it. Isn't that funny? Both of us tried to play a joke on the other, and neither of us got away with it. I guess we're not very good at making jokes, huh?"

"Heh, heh. I guess not. Um, Mihoshi. You can button your... Um, I don't really want to draw you that way."

"Really?" She turned those big innocent eyes on him again, buckling his resolve.

"Really," he sighed.

"OK." She quickly buttoned her shorts back up, bringing another sigh of relief from Tenchi. "So, how do you want me to pose, then?"

This time the question seemed to be genuine, and not loaded with the innuendo he'd thought he'd detected earlier. He considered it for a moment, before answering. "Well, how about you stand the way you were when I came back out of the storage room. Do you remember? You had your arms together, behind your back and you were kind of leaning with a little smile on your face. You were absolutely gorgeous."

"You think so? Oh, you're the best, Tenchi."

Tenchi saw the warning signs as she started to wring her hands and tense up her muscles. He managed to brace himself in time to not get knocked down by her flying hug, only having to take a few steps backward to catch his balance. If nothing else, he should be ready for Sasami, tomorrow. He'd hopefully be able to handle all the hugs she was certain to dish out any way, assuming things went well.

Tenchi returned the embrace, enjoying the feeling of it being just a hug, not the possessive grasp or near-groping that he often received from Ryoko and Ayeka. Not that it was always like that from those two, but more often than he would have liked. After a while, Tenchi realized Mihoshi wasn't going to break the embrace any time soon and so he pulled back gently. She did so too, once she felt him doing it, and their eyes quickly met again, and Tenchi could see the happiness, or maybe contentment, in her eyes.

Suddenly feeling like it was the right time, he leaned in, tilting his head to the right a bit as he did so after learning the hard way with Ryoko last night, and gently kissed Mihoshi on her lips. She enthusiastically returned the kiss for a few moments, before she suddenly started getting heavy in his arms.

"Waaugh. Mihoshi? Are you all right?"

"Hnnnggh. Tenchi? Oh, my, I suddenly got dizzy. Ooooh, that was fun."

Mihoshi quickly straightened, and leaned in close to start a new kiss. Again, it lasted a few moments before she sagged in his arms again.

"Mihoshi? Are you all right? Are you getting dizzy again?"

"Mmmm, hmmm. This feels good, you holding me like this, Tenchi. I could do this forever. Mmmm. Zzzzzz."

Tenchi stared in disbelief at the now sleeping Mihoshi still resting in his arms. Torn momentarily about what to do, he debated putting her to bed as she was or waking her up to let her go to bed on her own. Fighting down the urge to let her sleep, he regretfully tried to wake her up again.

"Mihoshi? Mihoshi?" With no response, he started to gently shake her. "Mihoshi! MIHOSHI!"

"Erng, unngh, wha-huh?" Mihoshi's eyes blinked open, darting about momentarily as she got her bearings. "Oh, Tenchi? Did I fall asleep?"

"Yeah. Look, you're obviously tired, and now that I think about it I am too." Tenchi stifled a yawn, only to watch Mihoshi's jaw gaping wide in her own yawn. "Why don't you go put on your pajamas in the bathroom, and I'll do the same in my room. Then we can go to bed. I'll do the sketch of you some other time, okay?"

"Okay, as long as I get another kiss."

"Well, I suppose I can do that if I absolutely have to." Tenchi grinned, and leaned in for a kiss, this one being much shorter, more of a quick peck than anything else. Trying to pull away, his face was caught by Mihoshi's hands.

"Uh, uh. A real kiss."

Tenchi smiled, then calmly performed a kiss which eventually met with her satisfaction.

"That's better. You're pretty good, you must have practiced a lot with Ryoko last night, hmmm? Kiyone told me she only got a couple which weren't real great, and Washu only got the one really bad one, so I have to assume that you must have practiced a lot with Ryoko. I mean that's really the only logical explan..."

Tenchi finally gave up listening and cut her off with another kiss. He was definitely getting to like this, he mentally berated himself for taking this long to get around to it with the ladies.

"Okay, now, let's get ready for bed, okay?"

Receiving only a bemused "mmmm" in response, Tenchi pointed her towards where she'd thrown a small bag of stuff she'd brought with where he assumed she had her pajamas. Then he turned and headed into his room, closing the door behind himself. He pulled out his pajamas, and quickly changed into them. Then he made sure everything in his room was arranged properly, and sat down on his bed to wait for Mihoshi, hoping she wouldn't fall asleep in the bathroom. A few minutes later he heard the knock on his door.

"Okay, Tenchi, I'm all ready."

He opened the door, stared for a fraction of a second, and then passed out.

"Tenchi!!!! Tenchi!!! TENCHI!!! WAKE UP!!!"

Tenchi slowly came to and groaned, then gradually turned to look into Mihoshi's face upside down above him. Once he regained his orientation, he realized he was lying down with his head resting on her legs crossed in front of her while she leaned over to look worriedly into his face.

"Ugh. I'm okay now, Mihoshi."

He struggled into a sitting position, rubbed his face a few times, then froze, remembering the sight which had caused him to pass out was probably still right behind him. He slowly peeked back to confirm that Mihoshi was in fact wearing the tight black tank undershirt and the black panties, and he quickly closed his eyes as he felt another wave of dizziness start. He fought this one off, and struggled back to his feet on trembling legs. Realizing he had no choice but to deal with it, he turned around and opened his eyes.

Mihoshi was standing now, giving him a view of her nearly flawless body. For some reason he was more flushed now than he had been earlier today when she'd been wearing the tiny pink bikini, which had actually shown off even more of her body. Taking a deep breath, he steeled himself and said, "Well, I guess we should go to bed then?"

"Nuh, uh. Not yet."

As his legs started to tremble a little more, he barely managed to say "Mihoshi?"

"I need a good-night kiss of course. I'm not going to let you go to bed until I get it. Understand?"

She put her hands on her hips and a small pout on her mouth. Hoping his knees wouldn't completely fail him, Tenchi leaned in for what he assumed would be his last kiss of the night. He slid his left foot forward to try and keep his balance, and was about to kiss her when she stepped back with a frown on her face.

"It's gotta be a good one, Tenchi. Arms, too."

Again her hands went to her hips, but the frown stayed on her face. A few deep breaths and Tenchi risked the step towards her he wasn't sure his knees would tolerate, but fortunately they did. He stretched his arms around her carefully, pressing them against her shoulder-blades, and tilted his head as he looked into her eyes.

The frown came off her face, to be replaced by a happy smile. She reached back and lowered his arms til they were pressing against the small of her back just above her butt. Then she tilted her head to the left as he did to the right and they banged noses.

"Owwiiiee! That wasn't what I had in mind, Tenchi. I think you're going to have to do better."

"How's this?"

Taking one hand from behind her back, he raised it up to her chin and held it in place so he could tilt his head to avoid her nose. Then he kissed her.

A few moments later, she slowly dropped back and sagged down to the futon on the floor.

"That was good enough. Good night, Tenchi."

Flopping thankfully onto the bed before he collapsed, Tenchi answered, "Good night Mihoshi."

He had barely crawled under the covers when he heard the heavy breathing of an already sleeping Mihoshi. He listened to it for a few hours before he managed to finally fall asleep.

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	15. Chapter 14: Sasami

Chapter 14: Sasami 

Sasami sleepily made her way down to the kitchen to start on breakfast. She didn't know exactly what time it was, but she knew it was early. Doing her part to help out around the house was important to Sasami so she had quickly gotten into the habit of waking up early to prepare breakfast for the household.

As she neared the kitchen she heard some noises from behind the door, which was unusual since she was always the first person to get up each day. A few more steps, and then she peeked in through the door and her jaw dropped at the amazing sight before her. Her mother and Funaho were quietly working on breakfast, something which she'd never seen them doing before.

She watched quietly for a while, amazed to see that they appeared to be competent, Misaki at any rate. She was issuing instructions to Funaho which her aunt carefully followed. They weren't doing it quite like Sasami would, but it seemed like it would turn out okay. Deciding she'd watched long enough, she walked into the kitchen to greet the two queens with a mischievous grin on her face.

"Good morning Mommy, good morning Auntie Funaho. Why are you making breakfast?"

The two queens jumped, startled by her presence behind them.

Misaki turned around, brandishing the knife in her hand. "Don't ever startle your mother like that, young lady." Then, after putting the knife down, she turned to Sasami again and opened her arms. "Come here and give me a hug."

Sasami threw herself into her mother's arms, and the squeezing began. Funaho winced a bit, then smiled happily, turning back to the food she had been working on. Eventually the two would break apart, but until then she intended to get some work done. A few minutes later they did, and Funaho finally answered Sasami's question.

"We decided you shouldn't have to make breakfast this morning, of course. You should be getting ready for your day with Tenchi, not working in the kitchen. Go on, get going, off to the bath with you."

"She's right, dear, you should get going. We can handle this for today. Oh, and good morning to you, too."

Sasami decided not to protest, knowing that arguing with those two would be unsuccessful, and hurried off to do as she'd been told. A quick stop back in the room she shared with Ayeka to pick up her clothes, and she headed for the onsen.

She felt the butterflies in her stomach as she arrived to take her bath. Thinking about what she was doing today, so unlike anything she'd ever done before, definitely made her nervous. Excited as well, but definitely nervous.

Sinking into the warm water helped her relax a bit. As she enjoyed the feeling, she tentatively reached out to try and talk to Tsunami.

'Tsunami? Are you there? I think I'm gonna need some help today.'

She hadn't really expected a response, Tsunami had been so quiet lately, so she was surprised when Tsunami did answer.

'You'll be fine, Sasami. You're growing into a fine young woman, and Tenchi will treat you very well, I'm sure.'

Sasami frowned, she hated being reminded how much younger she was, especially considering how fast she'd been growing lately. 'I suppose you're right, Tsunami. I think he might kiss me. I don't know how to kiss, yet.'

Sasami felt the little mental chuckle from Tsunami, which always felt a little strange. 'Do you really think Tenchi is such a good kisser after only a few days?'

'Well, maybe. He did get to kiss Ryoko a couple days ago, and if even half of what she said at breakfast yesterday was true, they did a lot of kissing.'

'Perhaps. I think Ryoko exaggerates a bit more than you might think. Besides, what do you want me to do? I don't know how to kiss a boy, either.'

'Oh, I just assumed you would, I mean you're a goddess and you've been around so long.'

'I have no physical presence, Sasami, outside of yourself and the tree. I'm quite certain the tree has never kissed a boy before.'

'Now you're teasing me. That's not very nice, Tsunami.'

Another chuckle, then, 'You'll be fine Sasami. Believe in yourself and trust Tenchi. And besides, Tenchi is likely to be as nervous as you are. He might have learned how to kiss with the others by now, but he's going to be afraid because of your age. Are you sure he's going to kiss you?'

Sasami blushed a bit. 'Well, no not really. I know he's trying to treat me different, but at the same time he wants to be fair to all of us, too. I don't know what he's going to do. But he might.'

'Well, if he does, he does. Try to relax and let it happen, if he has learned from the others, you're better off letting him. I'm sorry I could not be with you as much as I would like, Sasami. Things are happening which demand my attention. Good luck today.' And with that, Tsunami's presence in her mind was gone.

Feeling much better than she had previously, Sasami climbed out of the water, cleaned up and dried off, then got dressed. She felt a little strange, she'd never worn anything like this, before. She had decided to go with a look that someone her apparent age would wear, and had opted for a short, light blue miniskirt. She had also picked a fairly tight pink t-shirt that tucked into the skirt and some tall platform shoes. She'd been practicing walking in them in her spare moments in private so that she was pretty confident she could walk without tripping at least. Assuming her clumsiness didn't resurface any way.

She headed back for the house, nervous but confident at the same time. She could do this, and Tsunami help Tenchi if he managed to screw up today.

--

Tenchi awoke to the same sound he had fallen asleep to, Mihoshi's heavy breathing. After stretching out a few kinks, he turned to look at her. It was quite a sight, too, she'd manged to kick herself out from under her covers during the night. That wasn't real surprising, the very warm day had naturally led to a warm night, and Tenchi had barely needed any covers himself.

Mihoshi in the skimpy black outfit, sleeping soundly on the futon below him was an amazing sight to behold. Actually, any of the ladies in that outfit would have been just as amazing, probably, but it was Mihoshi right now and he barely felt his usual guilt over ogling her beautiful face and curves. Heck, if he'd been a little less honorable, he'd have been able to see more of those curves than he was looking at right now.

He glanced at the clock to see what time it was, and realizing that it would probably be breakfast time real soon, he groaned and crawled out of bed. He wouldn't have minded being lazy for a little while longer, and wasn't looking forward to what he had to do next. He put it off long enough to change and clean up.

Looking down at Mihoshi again, he reached out and shook her on the shoulder. "Mihoshi. Time to get up Mihoshi." No response, and he shook her a little harder. "Mihoshi! Let's go Mihoshi, it'll be breakfast time soon." With that her eyes sprung open.

"Breakfast? Mmmmm, I'm starving. Oh, good morning Tenchi, how are you?"

"I'm fine Mihoshi, good morning to you. Wow, that was easy. I'd always gotten the impression from everyone else that it was hard to wake you up."

"I don't know what you're talking about Tenchi. I'm no different than anyone else. When I'm asleep I want to sleep, and when it's time to get up, I get up. You should try and wake Kiyone up some time after she's been drinking. Of course she didn't do that very often, but wow, when she did... She would usually start singing, too, and there was this one time when she went out into the street and started dancing and taking off her clothes. It was really funny, especially when the police showed up to arrest her, and she couldn't find her identification..."

"Ah, Mihoshi, I think that may have been a story you weren't supposed to tell about Kiyone."

"What, oh you're right I was supposed to keep that a secret wasn't I? Whoopsie. Oh well, she'll forgive me. Any way, like I was saying she couldn't find her identification, so I had to show them mine, and promise that I was going to take her in and arrest her myself. You can imagine how mad at me Kiyone was when she woke up in the holding cell of our cruiser. She yelled at me so much, but I had to do it, I'd promised the police I would, after all..."

A little embarrassed himself to have heard what obviously would be a very embarrassing story for Kiyone, Tenchi finally stepped in to stop Mihoshi the only way he could think of. He reached out and put a finger on her lips, and when she quieted, he stepped in close, putting his face near hers. "Let's just keep that story to ourselves, okay?"

"O-okay." Her eyes were wide open now as they looked back into his.

"Now, how about a good morning kiss?"

"O-okay."

Tenchi smiled, and then complied, managing to remember to tilt his face to the left to avoid bumping Mihoshi's nose. That might get a little complicated, if he had to keep track of which way to go with which girl.

Breaking the kiss, he stepped back and smiled again. There were worse ways to start the morning. And from the look on Mihoshi's face, she was thinking the same thing. He wondered whose face it might end up being that he would wake up to every morning in the future. That's what he was trying to figure out, and he wasn't making much progress, yet. About all he'd learned was that he enjoyed spending time with and kissing all of the girls, and he didn't find that particularly surprising.

"That was nice, Tenchi. I could get used to that. How was it for you? Was I as good as the others? Next time let me brush first."

"Ummm, yeah. You were great. I'd really rather not talk about the other girls with you, though, at least not those kinds of things. It wouldn't really be polite."

"Oh, I suppose you're right. I just wanted to make sure you had a good time, Tenchi."

"Well, I did, thank you Mihoshi. I hope you had a good time, too."

With a little grin, she said, "Maybe not as good as it could have been... but pretty good." At the surprised look which appeared on his face, Mihoshi laughed, and said, "You didn't get to do that sketch of me, silly. What were you thinking I meant? You were thinking something dirty, weren't you?"

"I, uh..." Tenchi sighed as his face turned red. She'd gotten him this time, he'd fallen for it. "I suppose I was, Mihoshi. It's hard not to with you dressed like that, though."

"Dressed like... Oh, well, I suppose I should go change, then. I don't imagine I should go to breakfast like this, should I? Just give me a sec."

(KNOCK, KNOCK)

"Oh, that's probably Sasami. I'll go let her in." Completely forgetting about getting changed, Mihoshi reversed directions and headed for the door. Tenchi opened his mouth to point out it was his house and he could let people in, then figuring with Mihoshi there wasn't much point, he closed it again.

"Good morning, Sasami! Oh wow, you're so cute in that outfit, Tenchi's gonna love it. Look at those legs, you've really gotten tall, haven't you? Oh, I've got to get some shoes like that. Come over here Tenchi, say hello to Sasami. Well, I've got to go get dressed, I'll see you again at breakfast, Sasami."

As Mihoshi turned back to the bathroom, Sasami greeted Tenchi with a "Good morning," then with a little grin followed up with, "Wow. She sure is something to look at, isn't she Tenchi?"

Tenchi instinctively turned his head to watch Mihoshi walking before he could catch himself, and quickly pried his eyes off of her butt to face Sasami with red cheeks. "I, er... I suppose she is." Then seeing that she'd caught what he was looking at, he hung his head.

With a giggle, Sasami scolded him, "You're still a naughty boy, aren't you, Tenchi?"

"Yes, Sasami," Tenchi sighed. "Please don't do that. I know you think it's funny, but it makes me feel guilty for thinking about you that way."

"Okay Tenchi, I'll stop teasing you for now."

"For good, please?"

"We'll see, Tenchi." The grin was back on her face, and Tenchi knew he wasn't having any luck. He was about to press the issue more when Mihoshi returned from the bathroom, dressed in her typical khaki pants, but with a loose orange tank.

"Bye, Tenchi, bye, Sasami. I'll see you at breakfast. Have fun."

Mihoshi hurried from the house, Tenchi doing his best not to look at her. When she was gone, he turned back to Sasami, this time actually mustering a bit of firmness in his voice. "Please stop teasing me that way Sasami. I'm really uncomfortable with this. I like you a lot, I really do, but I also know you're way too young to be doing things like that."

"I'm sorry Tenchi."

Pleased that she had finally stopped teasing him, he steeled himself to something he had not been looking forward to. He'd been enjoying his time with all the ladies so much, he hadn't had much of a chance to think about Sasami. Since he couldn't think of a nice way to say it, he went with the honest approach in hopes it would work best.

"Thank you, Sasami. Now I know you don't want to hear this, but I have to say it. I like you, and I like all the other ladies, too. I know this is hard for all of you, and believe it or not it's hard for me too. I'm all mixed up, and I'm not sure it's getting any better with what I'm doing right now. I do know this, though. I'm not ready for a more serious relationship with any of you yet, and you know what I mean, you're obviously old enough to understand that. But in your case, I won't be ready for a more serious relationship for a long time. You're too young, I couldn't do that with you for years. I'm willing to wait if that's how it works out, but you need to understand that now. It doesn't seem fair to have to treat you differently, but I have to. I just can't do anything else, I wouldn't feel right any other way."

Tenchi had seen the tears forming in Sasami's eyes as he spoke, and couldn't guess what his speech had just done to her. He knew he'd had to say it though, and hoped it wouldn't drive Sasami away. Lately it had seemed she was getting touchy about being so much younger than everyone else, and understandably if she really did have feelings for Tenchi. He had forged ahead with plans to sort out his own feelings without ever considering how it might affect everyone else, and while it had been pretty positive so far, he'd known the minute Sasami became part of it that he was going to have to be very careful. For his own sake, but for Sasami's too.

"I'm sorry Sasami, I'll understand if you're mad at me. Please, say something, anything."

Finally the tears leaked from her eyes. "It's no fair, I'm so much younger. You're never going to choose me." With the tears flowing freely, she turned and fled, leaving a sorrowful Tenchi behind. He followed, knowing he had to try and deal with this quickly, but not knowing what he was going to do.

He arrived at the door to his father's house in seconds, it was still wide open where Sasami had obviously rushed through. He slowed, then stepped inside, to see everyone at the table staring up the stairs. He stopped, not sure what to do next, and winced when everyone noticed his presence and turned to look at him with fearful and angry eyes. He quickly looked to Misaki, and gave her a little bow.

"Please forgive me, I had to say some things which she did not want to hear. Now if you will please excuse me, I should go talk to her." He gave another little bow, and started to move towards the stairs, but was stopped by Misaki's voice.

"No, Tenchi, I believe this is something a mother should deal with. I will go talk to her, and we can hopefully resolve this. I may be able to convince her that what you can allow her will be enough for now. And thank you for being honest." Misaki returned his bow, then hurried up the stairs to find her daughter.

Not feeling like being in everyone's presence at the moment, Tenchi excused himself, and went back outside. A few moments later, he heard someone else come out, and was a little surprised to find his father standing next to him. Neither said anything for a while as Tenchi sorted through the issues in his head. Finally, he asked his father, "Am I doing the right thing? Was it a mistake to try this with all of them at the same time?"

"I don't have that answer Tenchi. I know why you did it, and I know how complicated it already is. It's not going to get better right away, probably not ever, I'm sure you know that too. Ask yourself this, do you think there was a better way?"

Tenchi had done that a million times already, the answer he always came up with was no. At least not if he really wanted a relationship with one of the ladies in this house. Dating only one of them at a time would have been too much like actually choosing, it wouldn't seem fair. His only other choice was none of the ladies, and that would probably end up with all of the ladies moving away and him being alone again. He knew that was selfish, but he liked the way his life was right now, for the most part, having a noisy house filled with more than just he and his father. And he also knew that a relationship with any one of the ladies could likely make him happy in the end, that was what made this so tough.

"I've never come up with one, dad. If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them. And what about Sasami? How can I be fair to her? She doesn't look it, but I know she's thirteen years old. Thirteen. So I either try a relationship with someone I have no business doing so with, or I make her wait another five years or so before I can treat her the same."

"You've got two choices. If you don't want a relationship with Sasami, now or ever, then tell her right now. If you think you might be willing to have a relationship with her, even if it means taking things really slowly until she gets older, then do that, and give her as much as you can. She's a smart girl, she'll understand why you might do more with one of the other ladies than her, even if she doesn't like it. In the end, if you did decide on her it would be worth it to her, right?"

Tenchi just silently considered what his father had said. None of it was all that different from things he'd thought of himself, but it felt good to have somebody else confirming his own thoughts finally. He liked Sasami, and the notion of spending his life with her was pretty appealing. She was intelligent, beautiful, playful, a great help around the house, and an incredible cook.All of the ladies had qualities he found extremely appealing, and yet they were all so different. Sasami deserved the chance, just like the rest, and he knew he liked Sasami enough to allow her that chance if he was going to be fair.

"Thanks dad. I guess I just needed to talk to someone. You probably figured that part out, didn't you, otherwise you wouldn't be out here." Tenchi finally turned to look at his father, and he saw the concern in those eyes, something he didn't usually see. It was comforting to know he had someone worrying about him that way.

"What do you think mother might have thought of all this?"

Pausing a moment to consider the question, Nobuyuki answered, "I think she'd tell you to listen to your heart. If you feel it's the right thing to do, then it is."

Tenchi smiled. He didn't remember a lot about his mother, but he could imagine her saying something like that. He stepped up to his father and embraced him in a hug. "Thanks dad. I needed to hear that."

"You're welcome, son. Do what you have to. I can wait a little longer for those grandkids if need be."

Tenchi just chuckled, his father never changed. The two turned and headed back to breakfast together.

"You've been around an awful lot lately, I've noticed. I don't suppose it's just a coincidence?"

"Of course not. Your development is very important to me, I need to be here to support you when you screw up with the ladies so I can tell you how it should actually be done."

"Right..."

--

Misaki found Sasami crying in her room, staring out the window. She knocked on the door frame to let Sasami know she was there, then she walked over and sat down beside her. She wanted Sasami to open up first, so she remained silent, waiting. After a moment, Sasami threw herself into her mother's arms and cried even more fiercely, but Misaki continued to wait for Sasami to settle down.

After a few minutes, Sasami wiped the tears from her eyes, and her shuddering sobs quieted. Slowly, she pulled herself away from Misaki, and then she turned to look back out the window again.

"Has Jurai changed much since we left?"

That hadn't been the question Misaki was expecting, but it was a start. "Well, in little ways it has, but it's still the same. Your father tries to avoid doing anything the council wants him to, the nobles all still kiss up in public and scheme in private, and the servants keep everything running smoothly. The issues are different, but everything still works the same as before. All the damage Ryoko caused has been long-since fixed."

"That's good. When we go back, it'll be easier to get used to it again."

"When we go back?"

"I'll be going back with you when you go home. Tenchi doesn't want me, so I might as well go back home, and try and live my life where I belong."

Misaki smiled sadly, and reached out to turn Sasami's face to hers. "What gave you the idea Tenchi didn't want you?"

"He told me that he wouldn't do some of the things he would with the others because I was too young. What else could he mean?"

Shaking her head ruefully, Misaki answered, "Lots of things, actually. Did he say he wanted you to leave?"

"Well, no."

"That's right, he didn't. Now, I didn't get a chance to talk to him and ask him exactly what he said, but it sounded like he told you he was nervous because of how young you are. Did he ever once say that you had no chance, that he would not consider you because of how young you are. Or did he say he had to treat you differently because of your age?"

"I suppose it was that he had to treat me differently. But that's not fair, how can I have a chance if he treats me differently?"

"Sasami, how can the others compete with you and what you have to offer? You shouldn't concern yourself with how Tenchi treats you and if it is different than how he treats the others. What should concern you is whether Tenchi treats you fairly and honestly when it is your turn."

"I guess..." Sasami whined.

"Stop that! Don't act like a spoiled little girl, instead be the mature young woman you need to be to earn Tenchi's love and respect. You may not be happy about this, but what would you think if Tenchi was interested in other thirteen-year-old girls?"

"Ewwww."

"That's right, so why should Tenchi think anything but 'Ewwww' when he considers what to do with you?"

"But, I'm older than that. Look at me, Washu says I'm sixteen."

"Sasami, you know that's not exactly true. Physically your body is sixteen, but mentally, you're still thirteen, and you know it. Stop trying to pretend you're older than you are and just be yourself. None of us can truly understand how you feel, I'm not trying to say we do. But don't forget who you are. Tenchi knows who you are, you've been living here for what, four years now? If you try and pretend to be something you're not, Tenchi will know, and he won't like it."

Sasami nodded slowly, coming to terms with what her mother was saying. She realized now she had probably overreacted, and would have to figure out how to start over again with Tenchi. "I think I messed up, mother. What do I do? How do I say I'm sorry to Tenchi?"

"Just like that. Say it, mean it, and ask him to forgive you. It's really very simple, it's amazing how hard it is to do it. Trust me, Tenchi will understand, he's having a hard time with this, too."

"Thanks, mom. You're the best."

"I'll remember you said that..." Misaki laughed at the grimace which flashed on Sasami's face. Then she grabbed her daughter in a hug. "Better now?"

"Mmmm, hmmm."

"Good. Should we go back down and eat breakfast, then? Your aunt and I put a lot of work into it you know, and it's probably cold by now. Children are so inconsiderate sometimes."

--

"Please, don't make this any harder for me than it is. Let Sasami be who she is, and don't use her age to tease her at all."

Tenchi was addressing the other ladies. He knew they weren't likely to do anything of the sort, but he wanted to be sure they understood his position. Explaining what had happened hadn't been pleasant, but at least now everyone understood exactly what had happened and why.

"I would never do that, Tenchi," answered Mihoshi.

"Thank you Mihoshi, I realize that none of you probably would intentionally, but I wanted all of you to hear it from me, so that maybe you might catch yourself before saying something by accident. Obviously Sasami is very concerned about not getting a fair chance because of her age, and I don't want her to feel that way at all."

"We'll do our best Tenchi, none of us want to hurt Sasami," said Washu, receiving nods from the rest in agreement.

"Thanks everyone. Well, I don't know when they'll be back down, should we probably eat?"

"Yeah, we've been waiting for quite a while. Let's eat already." Ryoko grabbed her chopsticks and prepared to dig into the food.

"You weren't going to wait for us? That's not very polite of you."

Everyone turned to face Misaki and Sasami as they made their way back down to the main floor. Sasami's eyes showed the telltale signs of crying, but she seemed to be over it now. Tenchi quickly stepped forward, but was stopped before he could say anything by Sasami holding up her hand.

"I'm okay now Tenchi. I overreacted before, but I think I understand what you meant now. I'm sorry, please forgive me."

"Of course I forgive you. You don't have to apologize to me, I should be apologizing to you. I'm sorry, Sasami."

"Oh that's okay Tenchi. You had to be honest, I forgive you."

Sasami threw herself into Tenchi's arms, wrapping him in a hug from which he desperately wanted to escape. He couldn't breathe, and he could also see some of the jealous looks Sasami was getting. Mihoshi's eyes were glistening as she squirmed, obviously desperate to join in the hug herself. It was Misaki who saved him, laying a hand on Sasami's shoulder to let her know to break the hug.

Wheezing, Tenchi made his way to a place at the table next to Funaho, leaving room for Sasami to sit down next to him. Misaki took her place on the other side of Funaho, and everyone finally started eating. The food wasn't quite as good as usual, even less so because it was cold, but still decent.

Just before he left for the fields, Tenchi stopped his father and whispered something in his ear receiving a nod in return, causing looks of puzzlement on all the ladies' faces. But since he obviously meant it for his father and no one else, everyone went on to wherever they were headed, assuming they'd learn about it in time.

--

(CRACK)

"Grandpa?!"

Tenchi dropped his sword in disbelief. He'd just struck his grandfather with his practice sword for the first time ever, and he wanted to exult in the victory. He was pretty sure he'd seen his grandfather's attention slip off to the distance right as Tenchi began his attack, though, so he wasn't yet sure if it had been due to his skill or something distracting his grandfather at the wrong time. He was also worried that his grandfather might be hurt, not knowing how physically able to withstand damage his grandfather was.

"Grandpa, are you okay?"

"Yes, Tenchi, I am fine." Yosho rolled back over from where he had fallen and looked up at his grandson hovering over him in concern and excitement. Seeing that Tenchi had dropped his sword, Yosho quickly knocked Tenchi to the ground with a leg sweep, and scooping his own sword back up, brought it to rest across Tenchi's neck as he struggled to orient himself.

"Never drop your sword, even if your opponent looks to be defeated. It might cost you your life, Tenchi."

"Grandpa! I thought you might be hurt."

"Tenchi! Never drop your sword, understand?"

"Yes Grandpa."

With that, Yosho removed his practice sword from Tenchi's neck and allowed him to scramble to his feet.

"You're sure you're okay, grandpa? I could have sworn you got distracted there, and that's why I managed to strike you. I was worried that you might've gotten hurt because you weren't guarding properly."

"Let that be a lesson to you, Tenchi. Focus on the battle at hand. If you worry about concerns outside of your immediate threat, you may not survive to deal with those outside concerns."

"Yes grandpa. So what was it, why did you get distracted?"

"It is nothing you need concern yourself with Tenchi. Perhaps it is just an old man finally feeling his age."

"Heh, heh, very funny grandpa. You're still stronger and faster than I am."

"And don't you forget it, Tenchi. That's enough for today. You should go celebrate your victory. I'm sure Sasami would enjoy your company."

The smile fell from Tenchi's face. He still didn't know how he was going to handle Sasami. She had apparently come to grips with what Tenchi had said, but he still felt bad for what he'd said and how she had reacted to it.

"Grandpa, is it okay if I skip studies this afternoon? I feel like I should do something to make up for what I said to her."

"Hmmm, and how do you propose to ever become a Shinto priest if you skip your studies whenever you choose to?"

"It's just one time grandpa, it's not like I'm quitting or anything."

"This would be the first time Tenchi. What happens when the other ladies decide they want equal treatment and that you should spend the whole afternoon with them as well? What will you do then?"

Tenchi regretfully admitted to himself that his grandfather was right. The others would want equal treatment, and he would feel compelled to give it to them. Then he'd be starting down a path which might eventually cause him to stop his studies. He wasn't sure he was ready for that yet, he wanted to finish to honor his grandfather.

"You're right, I shouldn't do that, even if it would make Sasami feel better. I'll try and find another way to make it up to her. Thanks grandpa."

--

Sasami was again on the receiving end of her mother's demonstrations at practice. She suspected she was being taught a lesson for skipping out of practice yesterday, but she didn't dare complain about her treatment. That would just make it worse.

And then, just as her concentration slipped once again, her mother landed a solid front kick to Sasami's padded stomach, dropping Sasami to her knees. By the time she looked up, she saw the heel of her mother's foot hanging in the air above her head as Misaki pulled the axe kick at the last second.

"Tsk, tsk. You need to keep your concentration Sasami." Misaki came back to rest on both feet, and watched Sasami struggle back to a standing position, still laboring to catch her breath after it had been knocked out of her.

"Yes mother."

"Yes what?"

"Yes, master." Sasami cringed at forgetting what to call her mother during practice. Nobody else was required to call her that, they were all in 'informal' training, whereas Sasami's was 'official'. Well, except Ryoko, she seemed to have earned Misaki's wrath somehow, so she always called her 'master' at practice, too.

"Well, now, what should we do for punishment, today? I want to see 50 crunches, followed by 30 push ups. Begin."

Sasami did her best to comply, knowing it was going to take her a long time. After dropping the extra padding she'd been wearing, Sasami began, wondering how on earth she was ever going to finish 50 crunches after getting kicked in the stomach. "One... two... three..."

Seeing Sasami started on her punishment, Misaki turned away and began issuing instructions to the others. "Your arm is too high on that block Ayeka, you'll lose your power and it won't do you any good. Better. No, no, no, Mihoshi. Drag your foot through heel first, not vertical. If you spin kick like that, you'll break your foot. Again. No, again. Good, like that. Kiyone, you have my permission to hit her every time she doesn't pull it through with her heel."

"What? But, but..." Mihoshi nearly burst into tears at the almost evil look she was getting from Kiyone.

"I'm just joking Mihoshi. Just keep count Kiyone. We'll have her do a push up for every one she does wrong."

Misaki then stopped to listen and watch Sasami again.

"Thirteen... huff... hufff... fourteen..."

"Slowing down already? For shame, it sounds like we need to spend more time on your conditioning, Sasami."

Tenchi stepped into the clearing and shook his head ruefully at the sight of Sasami doing crunches. He walked over to Misaki with the concern evident in his eyes.

"Oh, hello, Tenchi. Done already?" Misaki looked back at Tenchi with a raised eyebrow.

"Yeah, I actually managed to hit grandpa today. I think he got distracted by something, but he let me quit early as a reward any way. He always preaches to never lose your concentration, so I guess he considered it his own punishment for not following his own rules."

"Did you hear that Sasami? Never lose your concentration." Misaki stooped down over her laboring daughter. "I can't hear you."

"Seventeen... hungh... whuff... Eighteen..."

"Oh for crying out loud, you're never going to finish, are you? Fine, make it twenty crunches and twenty push ups. Tenchi's here, I'm feeling very generous right now."

"Nineteen... whoof... Twenty... Uggghhhh."

Sasami sat and panted heavily as Tenchi fought to keep the amused smile off of his face, or at least from Sasami's view. He remembered his early days with his grandfather, he didn't even want to guess how many push ups and sit ups and leg lifts and whatnot he'd done in his early days trying to meet his grandfather's standards. Tens of thousands, likely, maybe even hundreds of thousands for all he knew.

Watching as Sasami struggled over to her stomach and prepared to start on her push ups, Tenchi saw Ryoko floating over from where she'd been practicing with Ayeka. Tenchi had noticed that Funaho took every opportunity to excuse herself from practice, he suspected too many years as a training partner for Misaki had made the practice quite tiresome. He kept those opinions to himself. It wouldn't do to go pointing out anything that might upset either of the two queens.

"How come you're back here already Tenchi?"

"Grandpa called it off early since I actually hit him today."

"You hit him? Really? That's wonderful, Tenchi, I knew you were going to be better than him some day."

"I think you're overreacting, Ryoko. I think he got distracted somehow, he wasn't really looking when I hit him."

"Oh, don't be so modest Tenchi. You're gonna be the best swordsman ever. You've got the best teacher and the best training partner anyone's ever had, if I do say so myself. Fortunately for you, I'm here to help you learn those things Yosho can't teach you."

"Yeah, I'll be sure to mention that to my grandfather."

"Um, no that's okay, you really don't need to do that Tenchi. Just be happy that I'm here to help you learn."

Finally giving in and laughing, Tenchi answered, "Okay Ryoko, I am lucky to have you here. Thank you."

"Don't you forget it, loverboy." Ryoko moved in close to Tenchi, hoping to plant a kiss on his cheek, but was stopped by the arm of Misaki flashing in front of her face.

"I believe you need to keep your distance from Tenchi today, Ryoko. Trying to take advantage while poor Sasami is laboring – how many was that dear? - over there in her training. I'm thinking perhaps you need something to keep you occupied as well. Why don't you give me 300 sit ups."

"Three... hundred?"

"I believe you heard me."

Sighing, Ryoko started doing sit ups, she'd long since given up arguing with Misaki.

Tenchi couldn't help laughing at Ryoko's misfortune, and then he looked around for one of the stumps in the clearing so he could sit down and wait for Sasami to be finished.

"Seventeen... Hungghh... Eighteen... Huff... Huff... Nineteen... Twenty!"

Finishing the last of her push ups, Sasami collapsed on the ground and gasped for breath. Misaki just shook her head, then addressed everyone else. "Well, that should do it for today, ladies. Once again I find myself needing to stay and carefully monitor Ryoko's special training, but the rest of you are free to leave.

Tenchi watched as Ayeka, Kiyone and Mihoshi left, amused glances at Ryoko and pitying ones at Sasami who still lay on the ground motionless except for her deep breathing. As Misaki turned to Ryoko, he stood up and walked over to where Sasami lay, and knelt down beside her.

"How are you doing, Sasami. Ready to get up yet?"

"Just... another... minute."

Tenchi chuckled, briefly, then stifled it, realizing Sasami had probably heard him.

"I can help you up, and you can lean on me on the walk back if you'd like."

"O... kay."

Tenchi squared around in front of Sasami, and then pulled her up to a sitting position. She sat and panted for a few moments, then Tenchi stood, with her wrist grasped in both of his hands, and he pulled her to her feet. He was surprised by how solid a weight it was, but then he had to remind himself that she wasn't the little girl he still associated with her any more.

Sasami stumbled briefly, stopped from falling to the ground only by Tenchi catching her at the waist. Once she finally got her balance, she leaned her head on his shoulder as he turned her around, leaving his arm wrapped around her waist. They slowly started walking back to the house.

Neither spoke for most of the walk, but as they neared the house, Tenchi asked, "So is there anything you'd like to do right now? I've got a little spare time before lunch and then my studies."

"Just a bath. Maybe I'll feel better afterwards."

"A bath it is, then."

Tenchi supported her as they walked into the house and up the stairs to her room. Arriving, Tenchi knocked, but receiving no answer, he opened the door to let Sasami in. She slumped onto her futon, and curled up as if she was going to take a nap.

"Sasami?"

"Yes, Tenchi?"

"Um, don't you want that bath?"

"Yes. Could you grab my clothes? They're over there." Sasami gestured vaguely with her right arm towards the corner of the room.

Glancing around, Tenchi spotted the likely pile, and bent to scoop them up, then froze. On the top of the pile were a pair of pink underwear and bra sitting on the pink t-shirt. Tenchi colored, then lifted the pile from the middle, scooping up the shirt and underwear, and then lifting the skirt and dropping it on top so he wasn't looking at the undergarments any more. He heard the giggle from behind him, and turned back to face Sasami who was now sitting up.

"I guess you got to see my underwear, too."

Scowling at first, then realizing it was actually kind of funny, he laughed with Sasami. "I suppose so."

Sasami held up her hand to let Tenchi pull her to her feet. "I know it makes you uncomfortable Tenchi, but I hope you can at least try and think of me as a woman and not a girl. You saw me naked in the bath a couple days ago. Did I look like a little girl to you?"

"Erm... I guess not. That doesn't change things."

"Not even a little? What about the fact that I'm merging with Tsunami. What if we were merged tomorrow, what would you do then? I'll have all her memories and experiences at that point, will I still be a little girl, then?"

"I can't answer that Sasami. Until you do merge, though, I'll only think of you as Sasami, not Tsunami."

They walked down the hall and through the portal to the onsen, Sasami still leaning on Tenchi. Arriving, Tenchi hesitated in front of the door to the womens' side.

"Um, I don't think I should stick around any longer."

"Oh don't be silly, they're probably all soaking in the water."

Not waiting for Tenchi's response, Sasami finally let go of Tenchi, and walked over to the door and opened it. Tenchi froze momentarily, then he passed out with the blood streaming from his nose.

"Aaaahhh! Sasami, how could you?" Kiyone glared at Sasami as she held her arm across her bare chest.

"I'm really, really sorry Kiyone. I didn't think anyone would be here, I thought you'd all be in the bath by now."

"I've already been in the bath, Sasami. We must've gotten here at least fifteen minutes ago. It sure took you a while to get here."

"Yeah, I guess. That punishment wiped me out. I had to lean on Tenchi the whole way to even make it back and then up here."

"What's wrong Kiyone?" Mihoshi came in through the curtain, wrapped in a towel, followed by Ayeka similarly wrapped.

"Sasami brought Tenchi to the door here and opened it in front of him. I didn't have much for clothes on at the time." She glanced down at herself, indicating her lack of anything but her underwear.

"Oh, wow. Tenchi saw you naked? You're so lucky, Kiyone." Three jaws dropped open at that statement from Mihoshi.

Kiyone growled, "And why would that be?".

"Well, now that you've got that out of the way, Tenchi will probably pay more attention to you. Didn't you ever notice that the two people Tenchi had seen naked before, Ryoko and Ayeka, were the two he always seemed to pay the most attention to? Oh, right, you probably haven't been here long enough to notice. Well, I have, I was hoping I might get a chance last night, but he wouldn't let me..."

"Mihoshi..." Kiyone's voice rose warningly, but Mihoshi continued any way.

"... so I was thinking maybe my next turn, when he finally gets a chance to do my sketch, maybe I'll just take my clothes off without even asking him, then he can't stop me. After that, I'll get just as much attention as Ryoko and Ayeka." Mihoshi drifted off, obviously contemplating what things would be like with more attention from Tenchi.

Kiyone fought down the urge to strangle Mihoshi, and just turned away, clenching her fists. Sasami on the other hand, looked at her sister and asked, "Do you really think she's right? Tenchi did always seem to pay more attention to you and Ryoko."

"I wouldn't know, Sasami. To me it always felt like he was paying more attention to Ryoko, I never really stopped to consider the rest of you much, in comparison. I suppose it is possible, but it hardly seems like something Tenchi would do. At least not intentionally."

"What is wrong with you two? You can't honestly be thinking Mihoshi is right, can you? Why is he dating all of us, when he's only seen Ryoko and Ayeka naked, then?" Pausing at a sheepish look from Sasami, she asked, "Okay what else?"

Sasami answered, "Well, you see, actually he saw me naked in the bath a couple days ago. It was really Ryoko's fault, she just dropped him in without checking to see if we were in there first."

"He's seen you too? Oh this isn't fair. I can't believe I didn't take my clothes off last night." Mihoshi rejoined the conversation, and started frantically picking at her towel as if she was going to pull it off right then.

"Would you knock it off, Mihoshi? And you two, get real. Let's settle this, then. So Tenchi saw you a couple of days ago, right Sasami? Has he paid any more attention to you in the last couple of days than normal?"

"Well, I don't know. Mihoshi's the one who noticed it about Ayeka and Ryoko, ask her."

They all turned to Mihoshi, who paused thoughtfully. "Well, yesterday at the beach, and wasn't that really neat? I hope Washu will do that again soon. I know I'm not done tanning yet, and just one time won't do it for the rest of you, I mean look how pale you still are, Kiyone. What? Oh right, well, any way, the other day at the beach, when you ran back to the house to start on dinner, Tenchi watched Sasami running away awfully carefully. He didn't even realize he was doing it, but Queen Misaki and I did."

"He did, really?" Sasami's face flushed a little bit at the thought.

"Oh come on, Mihoshi. She was in a swimsuit at the time. He'd have done the same to any of us."

"But he didn't, it was only Sasami."

"Really?" Sasami started almost swooning with excitement.

"Hmmmmm..." was all Ayeka had to say.

"Oh you have got to be kidding me. You're actually listening to Mihoshi? That's it, I'm leaving. You three can delude yourself if you want." Kiyone quickly dressed and stalked out, leaving the other three.

--

In the entry way, Kiyone immediately ran into the unconscious Tenchi. She was tempted to leave him and just head back, but knew that wouldn't be right. He might possibly need some help, and they'd forgotten about him for long enough already. She stepped over to him, and leaned down to pat him on the cheek lightly.

"Ugggghhh. What happened? Oh yeah, I..." Tenchi realized who was standing above him, and turned bright red. "Oh geez, I'm sorry Kiyone, I told Sasami it was a really bad idea for me to be there."

"I know it's not your fault, Tenchi. It doesn't mean I'm happy about it, but it happened and now it's over. Think of it as something to look forward to."

"Huh? Oh..." Tenchi's face got redder as he considered what she had just said.

"Not any time soon, mind you, just a glimpse of the possible future."

"Oh, right." Tenchi failed to keep the disappointment out of his voice, earning him a quizzical look from Kiyone. He rubbed his head, and said, "Er, I hadn't planned on anything like that for a while, so of course not."

"So how are you feeling? Not too dizzy or anything?"

"No, I'm fine now. You'd think I'd be used to that by now. It's not like I haven't, er..."

"Haven't what?" Kiyone chuckled.

"Um, nothing. Well, I should probably go clean up. Oh geez, I forgot to grab any of my own stuff, I was paying so much attention to Sasami. Ah well, I guess I head home and just clean up there. Um, did I say something?"

Kiyone wiped the surprise off of her face, and quickly answered "No, no, just thinking of something I need to do today. Um, I'll go let Sasami know you're going to head home, then, should I have her meet you there?"

"Thanks, Kiyone, that would be really nice of you. Yeah, why don't you have her come over when she's done. She's probably going to be a while, she was in pretty rough shape on the way over, so I should have time. Thanks again, Kiyone."

"You're welcome Tenchi." Kiyone turned back to the door to the women's bath, but before opening it she glanced back at Tenchi, and caught him staring at her.

"Oh, right, I guess I shouldn't be here when you go in, should I?" Tenchi turned and fled, bringing a smile to Kiyone's face. Then she stepped inside to tell Sasami where to meet Tenchi.

--

(KNOCK, KNOCK)

"Tenchi, are you there? It's Sasami."

"Come in."

Sasami opened the door, and stepped into Tenchi's house for the second time that day. She hadn't really gotten much chance to look around before, Mihoshi had distracted her, and then Tenchi's speech had sent her fleeing. Tenchi was sitting on the couch, flipping through the channels on the television. He shut the TV off when she closed the door behind her.

"How are you feeling now?" Tenchi got up and looked at her with concern in his eyes.

"I'm better now, Tenchi. I just needed to catch my breath. I can't believe mother did that to me today. You don't need to tell her I said that, of course."

Tenchi chuckled, feeling sympathy for Sasami. "It'll be our secret. At least, until I need a favor any way."

"Hey! What kind of boyfriend are you, any way? Taking advantage of a young girl like that, it's almost shameful."

Tenchi could hear the sarcasm rolling off Sasami's voice, and was glad she was back to her cheerful self. He looked at her a little more closely, he'd barely even noticed her outfit this morning things had gone so poorly. He steeled himself to try and treat her as a young woman instead of a child, in certain things, any way. Deciding she deserved a compliment in payment for his hard words this morning, he said, "You're really cute, you know that?"

"Stop that, you're making me blush. But Thank you, any way." Sasami then looked him in the face with a questioning look. "I thought you weren't going to think of me that way, Tenchi? You sounded pretty determined this morning."

"Well, I'm still a little uncomfortable, but I talked with dad, and he pointed a couple things out to me. I'm going to try not to think of you like that little girl I remember any more, at least not all the time, but it's going to be hard for me. We'll see what happens I guess. And you really are pretty, even if I know you're just thirteen."

As Sasami's face turned bright red, Tenchi realized he was going to be hard-pressed to stay true to his own words and remember how young she was. As he'd just said, she was already very pretty, and he knew what she was going to look like in just a few more months, or less even, and she was going to be just plain beautiful at that point.

Giggling lightly, Sasami said, "Thanks, Tenchi. I can't wait to get rid of these freckles, though."

Tenchi's eyes widened a bit in surprise at that statement, he'd never really thought about that. He realized she was right, they were lighter now than they had been before, and when she finally merged with Tsunami, they would be gone. They were so much a part of what he thought of her as, that it saddened him a little to think she was going to lose them.

"I like them. They match your eyes. You shouldn't worry about them any way, you're too pretty for a few freckles to matter."

As her face turned scarlet, Tenchi chuckled. This was drastically different than his time with the other four. They'd all been mature, experienced, confident women, whereas Sasami was obviously not that, yet. He wasn't sure whether it was better or not, but it certainly was different. He'd have had to fight off Ryoko with the Master Key after telling her something like that, but Sasami was frozen in place, her face burning with embarrassment.

"Well, we've got a little time before lunch, would you like to do anything?"

Sasami didn't answer immediately, just looking at him with her wide pink eyes, and her face remained bright red.

"Sasami?"

"Ummmm... Can we, ummmm..."

Sasami broke off, apparently too flustered to continue. Realizing what she was probably trying to ask, Tenchi felt himself heating up with embarrassment as well. They just looked at each other for a few moments, neither being able to speak or move. Tenchi finally managed a deep breath when he ran out of air from the breath he hadn't realized he was holding.

"No, Sasami. I don't think so. I'll give you a hug, though."

Sasami's face drooped in disappointment, but she jumped into his arms for the hug any way.

"I suppose we should maybe go work on lunch? I'll help you if you want."

"That would be nice, Tenchi. I'd like that. Thank you."

--

"What do you think? Is she going to be able to handle this?"

Funaho looked at Misaki as they sat reading new correspondence, none of which had any new information regarding the king.

"Well, my daughter is still very insecure, but she's tough, too. I think Tenchi's going to soften up a little bit, and Sasami's going to harden a little bit, and they'll end up with something that will work. It may not matter, of course. She may end up being merged with Tsunami before Tenchi can come to any kind of decision. Your great-grandson has really created himself a mess here, you do realize that?"

"Yes, and no. Tenchi didn't create the mess, he just made it messier. What else should he have done, then?"

"Decided?"

Funaho laughed. "Well, obviously. And he should have decided how?"

"I'm still working on that."

"My point exactly."

"Well, unlike my mother," Misaki looked around nervously, "I don't plan to make his decision for him. Moving on, what about that itinerant husband of ours? Any information on him?"

"No nothing. So what's his punishment going to be, then. We'll have to make this a good one."

"You're right I suppose. I hate the 'no sex' punishment, though. It's almost as bad for us as it is for him. And we've been gone for a while already, I don't want to wait forever. Let's come up with something else."

"So what's his latest toy? We can take it away from him."

"You mean that racing animal he just bought? I suppose we could commandeer it, treat it like a pet instead of letting the grooms train it for racing, for a while any way. What do you think?

"Well, it might work..."

--

"Is this really necessary? When was the last time you learned anything useful?"

"Just be quiet, Ryoko. Your mother is working on a very important experiment here, and she doesn't need you breaking her concentration."

"Important, my a..."

(CRUNCH)

After the flowerpot hit Ryoko on the head, Washu said, "Watch your mouth, young lady. I didn't wash it out with soap before, don't make me now."

"What's up with you, any way? I've heard you swear before."

"Maybe I've decided to reform, to try and set a good example for my foul-mouthed daughter."

Washu finished playing with the controls of whatever it was she had Ryoko hooked up to. She hadn't told Ryoko what the tests were going to be, just that they were important. That was what she always said, and Ryoko always ended up strapped into some weird device, usually without any clothes on so that the metal buckles and connectors were cold against her skin. When it was done, Washu just sent her away without telling her anything.

Washu flipped a lever on the device and Ryoko felt a tingling sensation throughout her entire body. It was not completely unpleasant, but it tickled a little bit.

"Wh-what a-are y-you d-doing?"

"I'm looking for signs of intelligence, of course."

"V-very f-funny."

Throwing the lever back to it's original position, Washu checked the monitor, looking at numerous different pages of information. She scrolled through tables of data, looked at charts and graphs, and through it all Ryoko hung silently, grinding her teeth. She didn't know why she kept letting Washu run these experiments on her. She'd vowed not to after one particularly unpleasant incident, but she always found herself agreeing to do it, any way.

"Ah, hah. I thought so."

Washu pushed the monitor away, and finally hit the release switch to let Ryoko out of the device.

"So, what is it? What did you know?"

"That you've gained two pounds, and your muscle mass has decreased three percent, of course. It's a good thing you finally started working out with the others. You were on the road to being a fat old maid."

"What????!!!!!"

"Fat old maid. You know, overweight, ancient, no husband."

"I know what it means. How could you put me through all of that just to figure out if I've gained a couple pounds?"

"Don't forget your muscle loss."

"Mother..." Ryoko's voice rose and her face distorted with anger.

"This is all important information. You're the only one of you in existence. It's important for me to track everything about you of course. I need every piece of data I can get. Since Tenchi destroyed the Souja, we lost all of the data Kagato had collected on you. So I'm starting over again, and even worse, I don't have anything on your adolescence any more. What happens if I need to fix you some time? I'll need data to work with. Oh, and it was nice to hear Little Ryoko calling for her mother."

"What? I didn't... that is... aarrgghh!"

"It's okay, every little girl goes through a time in her life where she doesn't want to call her mother mommy. You're just hitting yours a little late in life, that's all."

"Shut up, Washu. I don't..."

(CRUNCH)

"Now, now, you're backsliding. Do I need to find some soap?"

Washu materialized a portal, and reached in to pull out a bar of soap.

Ryoko backed away in fear momentarily, until she remembered that she wasn't a little girl, and there was no way that Washu could force it into her mouth. This was ridiculous, she was acting like a little girl all of a sudden.

"That's it, bring it on, old lady. You can't scare me, I'm not a little girl."

Washu looked at her quizzically, then tossed the bar of soap back into a portal which briefly appeared.

"You're right, I suppose, you're not a little girl. You act like one an awful lot of the time, but you're not."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Do you really need me to tell you? All right then. You're lazy, you're selfish, you're inconsiderate of others' feelings, you're loud, you're violent. Do I need to continue? Fine. What does all of that sound like to you? To me it sounds like a little child who hasn't learned how to play with anyone else yet."

"How dare you? How would I have ever learned anything else? It's not like I was in a day care growing up, or going to school, or anything like that."

"So you admit to it, then?"

"I..." Ryoko stopped, thinking about what Washu had said. Washu certainly sounded like she meant it. Was she really like that? Sure she argued with Ayeka a lot, but that didn't make her all of that. Ayeka was a spoiled little princess, she deserved what Ryoko gave her. She didn't treat Sasami like that. She did chores when Sasami asked her to, and she never fought with her. Although she did drop Tenchi into the bath with her and Ayeka the other day. And she didn't actually do the chores if Sasami didn't ask her to specifically...

"I see you're coming to grips with a few things. It's no fun to come to some hard realizations about yourself, is it? Now, since we've laid out your bad qualities, I suppose we should move on to your good qualities."

"My... good qualities?"

"Yes, it's hard to believe, I know, but you do have some. Let's see, you're loyal, you're strong, you have good senses. Hmmm, sounds kinda like a puppy so far. Now then, you're independent, you're obviously in love with Tenchi, you're..."

"Yeah, I am in love with Tenchi. So why do you have to try and screw it up?"

Both Washu and Ryoko immediately fell silent. They hadn't been down this path before, neither really wanting to talk about such a sensitive subject. Washu sighed, and turned away, sitting down on a chair she materialized out of nowhere.

"Are you sure you want me to answer that?"

"Yes."

Seeing a chair materialize next to her, Ryoko sat down as well. Washu didn't turn to face her as she started talking.

"I assume just saying that 'I'm in love with Tenchi too' isn't good enough?"

"So you love him, huh? Why Tenchi?"

"Why not Tenchi? Why do you love Tenchi, and not Nobuyuki for instance, or Yosho? Surely you were able to see both of them as well while you were sending your consciousness out of the cave. It should have been apparent that they were both good men who had suffered a great deal of pain in their lives. Why no sympathy for them and only for Tenchi?"

"What are you talking about? Nobuyuki's a pervert, and Yosho's the one who stuck me in that cave in the first place!"

"My point is this: You fell in love with Tenchi since he's the one who saved you. You've never had anyone else in your life do for you what Tenchi did."

"Well, no kidding, I didn't exactly have the standard upbringing."

"No you didn't. I've already told you I'm sorry about that, but I wasn't exactly in a position to help. Back to Tenchi. So, you fell in love with Tenchi because he did something good for you that no one else had ever done. Is that any different than what he did for me?"

"But, he..."

"He what? If he hadn't killed Kagato, I'd still be stuck on the negative side of the Souja, probably back trapped in my prison. Tenchi did that for me, whether he realized it or not. And he did it risking his own life against someone he knew was trying to kill him. Someone he had to believe was much more powerful than he himself was. No one has ever done anything like that for me. My husband put his family before me. I took Kagato on as an assistant, and he took me captive. Who in my life has ever done for me what Tenchi did? Who?"

Ryoko could only watch Washu's back in silence. She'd never stopped to consider the betrayals Washu had had in her life. She always thought of her life as being a miserable one, but Washu's hadn't been any better.

"So what do we do?"

"I don't have a good answer for that."

"I'm not giving Tenchi up."

"I didn't ask you to."

"Are you giving him up?"

"I didn't say that either."

"You're not suggesting we share him?"

"Could you?"

Ryoko couldn't bring herself to answer, so she asked, "Could you?"

"I don't know."

Ryoko and Washu sat in silence for a while, before Ryoko finally got up to leave. As she floated away, she called back, "I guess we let Tenchi decide, then."

"I guess," Washu whispered to herself. Ryoko never saw the tears running down Washu's face.

--

"All right ladies, quiz time. Now we find out who's been paying attention." Funaho pulled a screen down with twenty questions printed on it regarding Juraian protocols and history. "First, answer these questions. After that we move on to 'Dinner Party' speech. Any questions before we begin?" Silence and long faces greeted her. "Okay, get started, then. Five minutes."

"No cheating. I'll be watching." Misaki tapped an exceptionally long ruler against her hand as Funaho came over to sit down next to her.

"So, what do you think?" asked Funaho quietly.

"Well, Ayeka shouldn't have any trouble of course, assuming she read the books. Actually she probably knows most of it any way. Sasami might struggle, I'm not sure whether she's ever had to study before. Ryoko's probably hopeless, but you never know. Washu hasn't paid attention to a single thing you've said in class, I don't think. She sits and reads those Japanese science journals, laughing to herself instead of paying attention. She might fail, but it'll be her own fault. Kiyone's trying the hardest of anyone, I think she'll be okay. Mihoshi, I just don't know. She doesn't write anything down, but she seems to remember everything you've said. My instincts tell me everyone will pass, though, assuming we don't catch Ryoko cheating, and we haven't so far."

"You're probably right."

Minutes passed as the various people frantically answered questions. Washu finished quickly, and opened one of the magazines she was always reading, and everyone heard her snickering quietly. One by one, the others finished until only Kiyone was left rubbing her forehead as she tried to answer the last question.

"Time!"

"What? Oh, shoot!" Kiyone mournfully watched as her answers were whisked away before she could put anything down for the final question.

"All right, shall we take a look and see how everyone did?" Funaho got a differing set of nods and shakes from the various students seated before her. "Let's see, Mihoshi... Eighteen correct. Very good!"

"Oh my! Thank you!" Mihoshi clapped her hands in delight.

"Washu... Twenty. Perfect."

"Naturally," said Washu with a smirk.

"Sasami... Sixteen. Not bad, but you'll need to keep working at it. You are a Juraian princess, after all."

"Yes, Aunt Funaho."

"Ayeka... Fourteen?"

"What?! But, but, that's not right, I'm sure I got all of them right." Ayeka was standing, her face scarlet.

"Not according to what I'm looking at. Tsk, tsk. You'll definitely have to improve on that."

Ryoko could be heard snickering, and Sasami stifled a giggle.

"Kiyone... Seventeen. And you didn't answer the last question. Not bad."

Kiyone sighed, and flopped her head down onto her arms to relax.

"And Ryoko... Fourteen. Interesting. That probably won't be acceptable, Ryoko, you'll have to do better."

"Well, now I know not to copy off of Ay... Why yes, I'll be sure to work harder, Funaho."

"Yes, see that you do. Well, on to the next test. Misaki will be playing the part of various guests you might meet at a dinner party on Jurai. Your test is of course to have an acceptable conversation, one which is properly polite, and yet commands the proper amount of respect at the same time. I'll be judging each of you on a twenty point scale. Any questions? No? Okay, Kiyone, you'll be first."

(GULP)

Kiyone rose to her feet to stand by Misaki as the queen offered her a cup of tea.

"So nice to meet you Queen Kiyone. We've heard all about you in Stanbolda. Why, you look quite a bit like my Aunt Gevovia. Oh, my, where are my manners, I should introduce myself. My name is Arginald Walodin, I'm aide to the current ambassador. How do you do?" Misaki bowed without spilling a drop of tea.

"Queen... Kiyone? Uh right, um... Nice to meet you as well. Please, just call me Kiyone. There's no need to be formal. Um... Tell me, the ambassador, is he as handsome as we've heard? Um..." Kiyone started to bow, then changed her mind and nodded instead, nearly spilling her tea in the process, managing to just splash a few drops on her hand.

"Handsome? I believe you must be mistaken, the ambassador is a woman of course. She's quite pretty, however."

"Oh, uh right." Kiyone sweated mightily. "I must have been mistaking the Stanboldan ambassador with the, uh... Stanbeldan ambassador."

"Those pigs! How dare you mistake us with them? I'll have you know..." Misaki droned on as Kiyone cringed more and more, knowing she was about to fail this test.

--

Everyone was surprised by Nobuyuki's early arrival as they milled around the house. Afternoon chores and studies had been taken care of, and everyone relaxed, enjoying themselves. Tenchi had to stop Sasami from getting up to start on dinner at least five times, and he'd had to stop the queens a couple more when they decided he was stopping Sasami because it was her day. Even being pressed by everyone for an explanation, Tenchi had remained silent.

When Tenchi hurried outside at seeing his father, everyone followed to the door to see what he was doing. When the bags full of takeout food appeared in his arms, the plan was clear, and everyone finally forgave Tenchi his tight-lipped secret.

"Oh, wow. This smells yummy. Not as yummy as yours, Sasami, but better than the que... Ouch! Kiyone!! Why did you kick me?"

"Fine, go ahead and finish what you were about to say then, Mihoshi." Kiyone spun Mihoshi about to look into the frowning faces of Misaki and Funaho.

"Oh, well, what I really meant to say was..."

"Come on, come on, everyone inside. The food will taste great, trust me. I picked it up from the best place, I get my lunches there almost every day. Let's go, let's go."

Nobuyuki herded everyone back into the house and to the dinner table where they all sat down. Tenchi remained standing, and grabbed Sasami by the elbow before she could sit down. Everyone then watched Tenchi, the curiosity evident in their eyes.

"Heh, heh. I, uh, asked dad if he could bring home dinner for all of you, and if it would be okay if I took Sasami into town to go eat at a restaurant. So, everyone enjoy the meal. Shall we go, Sasami?"

"You betcha, Tenchi. Let's go, this is so exciting." She grabbed Tenchi by the arm, and started dragging him to the door.

"I'll have her home at a reasonable hour," he told Misaki, who smiled and nodded.

"I'm sure you will, Tenchi. I'll put her pajamas in your house so she doesn't have to come back into ours when you get home."

"What?" Tenchi firmly planted his feet to stop his movement toward the door. "She's not sleeping at my place."

Laughing, Misaki just nodded at Sasami behind him and said, "You tell her." Then she picked up her chopsticks, turning her attention to the meal.

Tenchi slowly turned back around, and encountered an angry-faced Sasami with her hands on her hips and a tapping foot. He saw a hint of the bulging eyes her mother had perfected and swallowed hard. "Ah, yes, well, I suppose you can sleep at my place. It's not like anything is going to happen. Ahh..."

"You're exactly right, I will be sleeping at your place tonight. Now let's go."

Sasami grabbed him by the arm, and again started dragging him out the door.

"Good night, everyone," Tenchi called back over his shoulder.

"Good night," they all called back.

"Good luck," Misaki said merrily, her designation for the luck not being obvious.

--

"Tell the chef he needs to use more..."

"Sasami, stop it."

The waiter looked on nervously, not sure if the young girl before him was going to offer any more instructions. The last advice from the girl he had passed on had not been well received by the chef, so he didn't look forward to doing it again. He hated to lie about passing on her instructions and not actually doing it, though.

"But Tenchi, if he just put more..."

"It's okay Sasami. I'm sure he thinks he's doing it properly, and you're not going to make him happy by telling him what he's doing wrong. Look, can we just get our bill? We're done, any way. Thank you."

The waiter bowed, and quickly hustled away, relieved that he would not have to face the chef's wrath after all.

"I know you're a better cook than he is, Sasami, but it's his restaurant. I'm sure he spent lots of time learning how to cook, and he does it his way. Let it be."

As the pout started to form on Sasami's face, Tenchi could barely stop himself from laughing. She was just adorable with that expression on her face.

The waiter returned with their bill, and Tenchi quickly settled it and they left the restaurant. Apparently Sasami was upset with him for contradicting her, so after they got in the van and started back for their house, Tenchi said, "I'm sorry Sasami."

"It's okay Tenchi. I suppose you're right, I shouldn't try and tell someone else what to do. Unless they're working in my kitchen, of course."

Tenchi laughed with her, and the ride home quickly passed with Sasami's excited recollection of what eating in a fancy restaurant was like.

Upon arrival, Tenchi slipped inside his father's house just long enough to drop his keys on the table, noting his father snoring on the couch. He padded over quietly and shook Nobuyuki awake, then hustled out before his father could ask any questions. He and Sasami made their way back to his house and went inside. They found a small pile of clothes on the sofa which had to be Sasami's pajamas. She picked them up and carried them to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. Tenchi yawned, and headed for his room. He found some pajamas, and slipped them on, then went back out to the sofa to await his turn at the bathroom.

When Sasami finally came out, her hair was bundled up into the sleeping pouches, which always gave Tenchi a weird feeling. He'd never quite placed previously what it was about it, but suddenly he understood. Without the ponytails flowing up into the air over her head, she looked even more like Tsunami, at least the way Tenchi had seen Tsunami. He wondered what kind of hairstyle was going to take dominance once the two merged completely, or would it perhaps be something new altogether?

Then he noticed her fidgeting, and realized why. The pajamas were essentially her usual, the sleeveless shirt and thin pants, but they were much tighter than usual. Usually the pajamas she and Ayeka wore were loose, but these certainly weren't, showing off her curves.

"Apparently my mother picked the wrong ones." Sasami seemed to be trying to decide where to hold her arms, and finally crossed them across her chest, letting Tenchi catch his breath again. He dragged his eyes up to hers.

"Ah, well, you can go get some other ones if those aren't comfortable."

"No, no, they're actually very comfortable, just not what I'm used to."

"I can see that, er..." Tenchi reddened, and had to look away. He moved into the bathroom to wash up for the night, leaving Sasami behind as he didn't want to say anything else to embarrass himself.

When he finished his normal routine, he splashed his face with cold water a couple of times and dried off with the towel. Then he took a few deep breaths to get himself as calm as possible before he opened the door, afraid of what he was going to be facing. He was surprised to find the living room dark and empty, and looked around, realizing that Sasami had already turned off all the lights, and must be in his room already.

He headed for the only light left in the house, coming from his room, and stepped in to see Sasami already curled up in the futon.

"I had a really great day today. Thank you." Sasami yawned, and pulled the covers up over her shoulders.

"You're welcome, Sasami. Good night."

"Good night, Tenchi."

--

Marco could barely contain his excitement. He had watched the two men dueling in practice for a couple of days now, and he could tell they were extremely good. It was an unusual style, one he hadn't seen practiced before, but that only added to his excitement.

He'd been trying to decide how he might somehow go about getting a duel with the older man, he'd appeared to be the more skilled of the two, but today he'd witnessed the boy drop the old man with a move of blinding speed, one he'd thought the old man should still have blocked, but apparently was getting too feeble to do consistently. So Marco now turned his attention to the boy. That was who he wanted a duel with. He wasn't sure how could he arrange that and still fulfill his mission to capture, or kill if need be, detective Makibi, and not alert everyone to his presence.

He sat back down on the hill, again taking up his position to watch the goings on at the household. The presence of the queens was a surprise, but didn't make much difference to Marco. He'd heard the one was the Juraian King's bodyguard as well as his wife, and a skilled warrior, but she was still a woman.

There were a lot of women in the house, actually, most of whom Marco recognized. The two princesses and two queens he did, and likewise the two Galaxy Police officers were obvious. The others he didn't know about. The one with Cyan hair seemed familiar, but he couldn't place her, and the two red-headed girls he didn't recognize at all, but it was obvious they were related, presumably sisters. The little girl with the thick brown hair was a complete mystery. And for some reason, most of them but the queens seemed to be interested in the boy. He'd witnessed both the blonde GP officer and the Cyan-haired lady walking with the boy as if they were lovers, and most of the others looked at him in much the same way. Odd, the boy didn't look like much, except for his obvious skill with the sword.

He wasn't very tall or particularly muscular. His looks didn't seem special, though Marco admitted to not being a good judge of Juraian men, as that's what the boy most resembled. It was curious why all the ladies seemed to swoon for him, even the younger of the two teenage red-heads.

He started considering the odds of making a move on Kiyone in this house, and decided that wasn't likely to be a good idea. Anything going wrong at all, and he'd have a house full of dangerous individuals to deal with. No, the best plan was going to be to lure Makibi away. And what about the boy, how to get him away so he could duel with him without bringing the attention of anyone else in the house...

Marco watched as the older man slipped out of the house and drove away. He didn't look like much to Marco, he didn't carry that air of competence which most everyone else seemed to. Perhaps that was the answer...

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	16. Chapter 15: Ayeka

Chapter 15: Ayeka 

(THUMP)

"Oww!"

Tenchi jumped up to a sitting position in his bed, looking at the source of the sound that had woken him. In the dim light he could see the outline of Sasami as she stood rubbing her nose.

"Sasami? Are you all right?" Tenchi scrambled out of the bed to approach Sasami and make sure she was fine.

"I'll be okay Tenchi. I woke up like I always do, and started wandering to where my clothes would have been if I'd been sleeping in my own room, but instead, I ran into the wall. I wasn't quite awake, yet."

Tenchi could hear the sheepishness in her voice, though he couldn't really see her face due to the darkness. He reached out and took her by the hand and pulled her away from the wall into his arms. He heard her suck in her breath as he did so and smiled.

"So, is there a reason you're wandering around my room at..." Tenchi looked at his clock. "...Four-thirty in the morning?"

"I wanted to get started on breakfast of course. I skipped out on breakfast and dinner yesterday, I have to start again."

"Sasami, we'll survive for a day without you making us breakfast. It's your day until breakfast is ready, right? If you don't go and make breakfast now, your day will last a little longer. Of course your mother is probably already up and making breakfast, just like yesterday. It's Ayeka's turn, after all."

"But, I wouldn't feel right if I just skipped out on it."

"You can start again with lunch today Sasami, then you'll have a whole week before you skip any. That's plenty. If it really makes you feel bad, you can do something else around the house."

"Well, maybe..."

"Okay, what can I do to convince you to stay here and just relax for a while?"

She turned her head so that their faces were directly opposite each other, and she was now close enough that he could see her face. She was chewing on her lip, but Tenchi could see the twinkle of mischief in her eyes.

"I suppose if you kissed me, I might be willing to forget about it..."

He'd sensed that coming, and realized he couldn't be mad at her. Any of the others would have done something similar, so hearing it from Sasami shouldn't be any different.

"Sasami..." He did his best to put the warning in his voice.

With the laughter audible in her voice, Tenchi knew he was doomed. He turned her around and gave her a tiny shove in the direction of the futon.

"Now go back to bed, it's too early to be moving around yet."

"Yes, Tenchi."

--

Ayeka studied her reflection in the mirror, making sure it met with her standards. She'd debated long and hard over what she was going to wear today, and waiting through everyone else's turn to get here had been excruciating. None of that mattered now, though. It was finally her turn, finally her chance to show Tenchi why she was the one he should choose.

She had been working on this dress in her spare moments for the last week. In the end it was similar to the lavender one she worn the other day, but this one was dark red. It was low-cut, just showing the top of the gap between her breasts, and made of a tight-fitting material which also stretched a bit so that it hugged the curves of her hips. It had wide straps at the shoulder, no sleeves, and it stopped about the middle of her thighs, showing more of her legs than she ever thought to except in private with the man she loved.

The reaction she'd gotten from Tenchi the last time confirmed her expectations of what he would like, so she was going with a similar look today. She just wished her perfect skin hadn't gotten blemished from all her time out in the sun. But there was no turning back now, and Tenchi seemed not to mind the extreme suntan Mihoshi had, so a little color wouldn't be too bad.

It still grated that she had to go last, the only thing consoling her at all was that she would be the last to make an impression before his one day off from spending time with a specific girl. She would do her best to see that the impression she left was a lasting one.

She wasn't sure if Tenchi had anything in particular in mind for them today like he had for Sasami. She hoped so, but if not, she would just enjoy spending time around him without the presence of any of the other ladies, and especially Ryoko, of course. Trying to get Tenchi away from her presence was near-impossible, but she would be forced to leave them alone this time. She had a few ideas for things they might do if Tenchi didn't have plans.

(KNOCK, KNOCK)

"Ayeka?" Misaki called from outside Ayeka's door.

"Yes mother?"

"I think breakfast should be about ready, at least Funaho seems to think so any way. She wouldn't let me try any of the other things I wanted to. So you can go get Tenchi now."

Ayeka rose to her feet and hurried to the door. She opened it to face her mother, and blushed a tiny bit upon receiving her mother's inspection.

"Well, he'll like that, I'm sure. Now get going," said Misaki.

"Thank you mother."

Ayeka took a couple quick steps toward the stairs before she caught herself, and stopped to turn back and embrace her mother. Then she hurried down the stairs to go and greet Tenchi.

--

"Tenchi?"

Tenchi opened his eyes and turned to face Sasami. He'd been dozing for a while, not really asleep, and obviously Sasami had noticed. She was sitting up, with her arms wrapped around her knees, a look of concentration on her face.

"Yes, Sasami?"

"Is it so hard? Thinking of me like a woman, that is."

"Is it okay if I say yes and no?"

Sasami's brows furrowed a bit, and she angled her head to look directly at him.

"It's like this, Sasami. I can look at you, and I'm very attracted to what I see. But your personality hasn't changed much. You're still the same mischievous, playful, sweet, stubborn girl underneath. Depending on the moment, I think of you in different ways."

"I guess. This is just really hard for me. It's bad enough trying to be someone for you to like, but I know that if I get what I want, it'll hurt my sister, and my friends, too."

"Why do you think I've struggled with this so much, Sasami? No matter what, somebody I care for very much gets hurt."

"So why do you have to choose?"

"Would that make you feel any better? If I told you all that I didn't want you, what would you think? What would you feel?"

Tenchi could almost see the thoughts running through Sasami's mind. If he guessed right, they were similar to ones he himself had thought, though from the other side.

(KNOCK, KNOCK)

Sasami bounced to her feet, and headed for the door. Tenchi was about to protest, when he realized that the women had been answering the door for him every morning, except that first one with Washu when there was nobody else to answer it except him. He crawled out of bed, and smoothed his hair a bit as he went to greet Sasami's sister.

"Good morning, Ayeka." Sasami gave her sister a quick hug, then turned around and headed back into the house, presumably to find her things and get changed.

"Good morning, Sasami. My, those pajamas are rather... tight, aren't they?"

"Yeah, mom picked them out. They're actually pretty comfortable, I think I might keep wearing them. At least, once a week any way."

Sasami disappeared into the bathroom as she said this, missing Ayeka's shocked look. Tenchi grimaced as she turned her gaze on him, then he composed himself.

"Good morning, Ayeka. I, uh, think she was telling the truth about your mother picking them."

Ayeka's look gradually eased from a frown to a considering look, and she answered, "Good morning to you, Lord Tenchi. I suppose I shouldn't be surprised by anything my mother does any more. I'm not sure if she changed while I was away or if I just never noticed it, but she seems to have developed a definite matchmaker's personality quite suddenly."

"Well, you were betrothed to grandfather before, so she probably thought her work was done with you at least."

"You may be right. So, did you have a good time with Sasami last night?"

His eyes nearly popping from their sockets, Tenchi answered, "Er... Well, I guess I did."

"It wasn't too hard to treat her fairly?"

"Um, can we wait until she's gone before we discuss this?"

"You're right of course. Well, care to show me around quickly?"

"Aah, well, you're seeing it pretty much. Not much to show, there's the kitchen, the living room of course, there's a storage closet back there, and that's my room. Sasami's in the bathroom, of course. It's pretty small, really."

Tenchi motioned to the various areas as he described them, turning in place to point, as there was no need to do anything else.

"It's very nice, Tenchi. You should be proud of your father, and I suppose we should all thank Washu and him for doing this for us."

"Yeah, I suppose."

The door to the bathroom opened, and Sasami came out, wearing her typical Juraian clothes.

"Bye you two, see you at breakfast. Thanks Tenchi, I had a great time last night."

Sasami scampered out of the house leaving Ayeka and Tenchi alone.  
"Excuse me a minute, make yourself comfortable," said Tenchi, then he disappeared into the bathroom himself. A few minutes later he returned, his hair combed and some fresh clothes in place. He walked over to Ayeka, and offered her his arm.

"Well, shall we go, princess?"

Ayeka giggled, and took his arm. "Yes, let's. And please just call me Ayeka."

"Only when you call me just Tenchi instead of Lord Tenchi all the time."

"Ah, I will try Lo... Tenchi."

They began the walk to his father's house, then Tenchi said, "That outfit looks very nice on you, Ayeka."

He received a tight squeeze on his arm in return, but forced himself not to look at her. His cheeks reddened a bit, but he kept walking.

"Thank you, Tenchi."

--

"Really, mother. He was very nice and he didn't do anything you wouldn't approve of." Sasami was hovering between laughing and crying as Misaki questioned her about her time spent with Tenchi the previous night.

"That's good. Not that I expected otherwise, but he is still a man, so you can never be certain."

"Please, mother..." Sasami sighed, and turned her face away to send a pleading look at Funaho. She heard snickers coming from everyone else around the table and flushed a little bit in anger. "Aunt Funaho, nothing happened. Can you get her to leave me alone?"

"I never interfere with a mother parenting her child, Sasami." Funaho smiled as she shook her head.

Sasami bowed her head for a moment to clear her head, then snapped it back up to face the table. "Nothing happened! Really!"

"Of course, dear. You already said that. Would you please go get the last dish from the counter in the kitchen?" Misaki hummed quietly as she set down the dishes she'd been carrying.

"Aaarrgghh!" Sasami jumped to her feet and stormed into the kitchen.

"Do you usually grill your daughters in front of a crowd? I'm wondering if it makes them listen to you better that way." Washu laughed in Ryoko's direction, but her daughter failed to rise to the bait and instead just grimaced.

"Whatever works. Sasami needed to know I was going to be monitoring her carefully, that's all."

"Nothing happened mother!" Sasami growled, returning from the kitchen.

"Yes, dear."

Sasami set the dish down heavily, and flopped into her seat, mumbling to herself. She didn't want to look at all the grinning faces at the moment, so she buried her face in her hands.At that moment Tenchi and Ayeka walked in, and Sasami thankfully began eating along with everyone else. She vowed revenge on everyone for laughing at her, everyone except Mihoshi who'd watched the whole thing with bright puzzled eyes.

"Interesting dress, Ayeka. Good thing it's not windy today." Ryoko pointedly looked at her food while commenting.

"Actually, I doubt the wind would do much to that dress, Ryoko. It looks like it's stuck to her pretty well." Washu also commented without looking directly at Ayeka, who colored slightly.

"It looks great, Ayeka," said Kiyone. "Ignore the peanut gallery."

"It's very pretty Ayeka," said Mihoshi. "You should show off your legs like that more often, right Tenchi?"

Tenchi nearly choked on the rice he had been shoveling into his mouth to pretend he wasn't listening.

"Thank you, Kiyone, Mihoshi. I'll think about it." Ayeka smiled at the two GP officers, then frowned at Washu and Ryoko.

"So, Tenchi. What are your plans for today?" asked Funaho.

Tenchi sighed, he still didn't like talking about these things in front of everyone. "Well, I kinda thought I might take Ayeka for a walk back by the hill where all the flowers are growing. And I was hoping we might have a picnic underneath Funaho. The tree, that is..."

"I think we all knew which Funaho you were talking about, Tenchi. That sounds quite nice. Enjoy yourselves today, you two." Misaki smiled in their direction before sipping some tea.

"That sounds wonderful, Tenchi. I can't wait." Ayeka squeezed his arm momentarily.

"Ah, yes, well, I should really get going. Ryo-Ohki?" Tenchi stood up and left, and the cabbit hopped out after him.

After he was out of earshot, Washu commented, "Anybody else notice he seems to be putting a little more thought into things now than when we started?"

"He's learning of course," said Funaho. "He's inexperienced, Washu, not stupid."

"Yeah, that's maybe what has me worried. We're gonna turn that boy into something dangerous if we're not careful. I don't think it's a good idea to let him out of our sight too often, at least not where other ladies might be present."

"How... noble of you, Washu."

"Hey, just protecting my investment. I don't want him running out and bringing another dozen women back from town to live with us. I'm not sure even I could keep up with the amount of damage this house would suffer."

"Of course." Funaho sipped some tea as numerous sets of eyes turned to look at the doorway Tenchi had disappeared through. "Tenchi the lady killer. That could be interesting. The young noblewomen on Jurai will be swooning when we bring this news back, Sister."

"Indeed," answered Misaki.

--

Tenchi carried Ryo-Ohki back to the fields, having chased her down for the third time that morning. "All right, enough for today? I can't keep chasing you like this Ryo-Ohki. The carrots are doing pretty well, though, I guess we can head back."

"Miya!"

Tenchi smiled, and picked up the tools in his right hand so Ryo-Ohki could grab his left. They headed back for the house hand in hand, Ryo-Ohki humming happily to herself.

"Can you keep a secret, Ryo-Ohki?"

"Miya!"

"You can, huh? Okay, don't tell any of the ladies this, but I think I'm starting to like this whole kissing and dating thing."

"Mreowr?"

"Yes, well, you're probably a little young to really understand yet. For some reason they seem to end up wearing these really amazing outfits whenever it's their turn, like they think they need to so I'll notice how pretty they all are. It's unnecessary, of course, I figured out a long time ago how beautiful they all are, but I can't say I really mind when they end up in some of those tiny outfits."

"Meow..." Tenchi noticed the red in Ryo-Ohki's cheeks, and laughed as he felt his own cheeks heating up.

"Yeah, that's pretty terrible of me, isn't it, ogling the girls all the time. I just can't help it though. You know, you looked pretty good in those shorts and tank top at the beach the other day. If you're not careful I might set my sights on you, too."

"Miya? Miya, meow, miya!"

"Heh, heh, I'm not quite sure what you're saying right now, Ryo-Ohki. Oh, well, it's kind of nice having someone to talk to right now who isn't scrutinizing every thing I say for its hidden meaning regarding our relationship. Even if the conversation is pretty one-way." Tenchi smiled down at Ryo-Ohki.

"Miya!"

Tenchi laughed, and they finished the walk back to the house, Ryo-Ohki swinging his arms back and forth merrily.

--

"I guess it's time for you two to head over there. Bring your battle histories books to studies later, we're going to teach you some military strategy for a change. Your Shinto studies are going very well." Yosho turned to head back for his shrine, while Tenchi gathered everything up.

"Okay, grandpa." 'That should be interesting,' Tenchi thought. 'Grandpa hasn't ever taught me anything like that before, only asked me to read some of those books to learn a little about warfare.'

He and Ryoko wandered back over to the practice grounds where Misaki was instructing only her two daughters today, with Mihoshi and Kiyone on patrol.

"Welcome, you two. Well, now that you're here, Ayeka, you can practice with Tenchi for a bit, Ryoko, you and Sasami." Misaki shuffled them into place quickly, and started instructing them in a few more movements, and the reasons behind them. Eventually she announced time for sparring, and Tenchi and Ayeka nervously faced each other.

"You know, Ayeka, I haven't really gotten used to the idea of sparring with any of you. It feels pretty weird."

"I find I do agree with you on that, Lord Tenchi."

"Ahem..."

"Ah... Tenchi."

"Better. Shall we?"

"Yes."

Tenchi and Ayeka started some light sparring, and Tenchi quickly realized he was much too fast for Ayeka. He rapped her numerous times, and they broke it off shortly with rueful smiles on both their faces.

"I guess you're too skilled for me, Lo... Tenchi."

"I guess."

"I don't," growled Misaki. "That was pitiful, Ayeka. I want to see you actually using your skills, not acting like a pitiful damsel who can't protect herself. Let's see, how do we motivate you this time?" Misaki looked at Tenchi for a moment. "Ah, I know. Every time Tenchi lands a blow, we'll let him spank you. How does that sound?"

"What?!" yelled Tenchi and Ayeka in unison.

"You heard me. And no backing off Tenchi, I know what you can do, I can tell if you're not trying just like I can tell when my daughter isn't trying."

"But mother..." cried Ayeka.

"Yes?"

"Er..."

Tenchi said, "I don't think I can do that, Misaki. Spank her, I mean. I can probably go full out sparring, but not that."

"Really? You wouldn't like to lay your hands on that nice, round, firm bottom, then? Fine. Every blow Tenchi lands, Ryoko gets to spank Ayeka."

"What?!" cried Tenchi and Ayeka in unison, once more.

Ryoko grinned evilly from where she and Sasami had stopped to watch Misaki. "Sounds good to me. Let her have it, Tenchi."

"Mother... surely you don't mean it." Ayeka looked at her mother desperately.

"Well, take your pick, Tenchi or Ryoko. It's gonna be one of them. Of course all you have to do is defend yourself against Tenchi properly and it really won't matter, will it?"

"Ah... well, in that case I would prefer it to be... ah... Tenchi." Ayeka turned bright red, and couldn't look him in the face.

"Bah, no fair! Oh, what the heck. Let her have it Tenchi, spank her good for me." Ryoko hovered in the air in a sitting position to watch carefully.

"Um, I don't think this is a good idea..." Tenchi started.

"I think it's a very good idea. None of my daughters will grow up to be wimpy little girly-girls, I don't care who they're fighting. She needs to get that message to stick in her brain somehow." Misaki turned her commanding gaze on Ayeka, who flinched back from it.

"Um, okay... Ayeka? Ready?"

"I... well, okay." Ayeka took a few deep breaths before taking her place opposite Tenchi. Her mind was racing, she couldn't seem to get it under control at the moment. But if she didn't concentrate she would be...

"Begin!"

Ayeka threw her defense up as Tenchi started attacking, desperately fending off every attack he made. She slipped punches, blocked some more, and threw some punches and short kicks in return. She avoided watching his eyes, preferring to concentrate on the center of his body so she could read his movements.

Tenchi circled and attacked warily now. His huge speed advantage was obviously a thing of the past, she must have been holding back. He couldn't manage to slip past her guard at all, not that he wanted to terribly. He'd be about as mortified as she would if he had to spank her...

(THWAP)

Tenchi found himself lying on the ground looking up at the sky. "Ugh!" He levered himself up to a seated position and shook his head carefully to try and clear the haze of red in his vision.

"Tenchi! Are you okay?" the ladies all swarmed over to him as he swayed on the ground.

"Um, yeah, I think so. Wow, you laid me out, Ayeka. I never saw it coming."

"Er, yes I suppose I did, didn't I? You are sure that you're okay?" Ayeka knelt down and looked at his face carefully.

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well, Ayeka, looks like you escaped your punishment, just as I said you might. Maybe next time he'll keep his mind on the match." Misaki shook her head as she looked at Tenchi. "I've half a mind to tell your grandfather what just happened."

"Er... I was trying, Misaki. I just lost my focus there for a second."

"Yes, I know. Fortunately for her, Ayeka did what she was supposed to do and capitalized. Too bad, Tenchi, you missed out on a golden opportunity." Misaki laughed at her daughter's blushing cheeks. "Next time concentrate or I will tell your grandfather, so don't screw up again."

Tenchi hung his head and said, "Yes, Misaki."

--

"Did you put some chopsticks in, Sasami?"

"Yes, Ayeka."

Sasami tried to ignore her sister hovering around the kitchen, investigating everything she had prepared for the picnic with Tenchi. She'd asked about everything at least twice now, to Sasami's count. Having had enough she rounded on Ayeka and said, "Enough. Out. It's all prepared, everything you'll need is packed. Go find Tenchi, please."

"Ah, yes, well I suppose that would make sense, wouldn't it? Thank you, Sasami."

"You're welcome, Ayeka. Now go!"

Sasami hustled Ayeka out of the kitchen and then slumped against the counter. She didn't fault her sister necessarily for wanting things to be perfect, but getting rid of her for the moment was a welcome relief.

Finally able to relax, Sasami wandered outside to get some fresh air and was surprised to see Ryo-Ohki in her adult form struggling to walk with Ryoko holding her hand.

"Ryo-Ohki! You're walking! Good for you!" Sasami ran over to take Ryo-Ohki's other hand as the cabbit wobbled forward some more.

"Miya!"

"Yeah, she suddenly decided she wanted to start learning to walk in this body. She wouldn't tell me why, though. She wouldn't leave me alone til I helped her. I'd have rather been spying... er, I've got things I could've been doing right now, but noooo... here I am helping her walk." Ryoko scowled at Ryo-Ohki who ignored her completely.

"Ryoko. You're not going to do anything to mess up Ayeka's day, are you?"

Ryoko got a guilty look and laughed, "No, of course not. I'm not gonna lose my time with Tenchi for anything. I thought I might keep an eye on them today, though. You know, just see how things were going and stuff."

"Ryoko! You'd better not, just leave Ayeka alone. This is her day, and she should get to enjoy it without having to worry about anything you're doing."

"She wouldn't know I was doing anything."

"I would. No, Ryoko."

"Fine. Have it your way. It's not like Ayeka has anything for me to worry about, any way."

The two of them fell silent and helped Ryo-Ohki walk for a while longer. Eventually Ryo-Ohki got tired, and transformed back into her cabbit form, jumping up onto Sasami's head.

"That was great Ryo-Ohki! Let's go get you a carrot."

"Miya!"

Ryoko watched the two head back into the house, then turned to look in the direction of the Juraian tree Funaho. She glanced back and forth between the house and the tree a few times, then sighed and disappeared back into the house as well.

--

Tenchi leaned back against the trunk of Funaho and watched the clouds rolling through the sky. Next to him sat a beautiful girl in a pretty dress, and they had just finished a delicious picnic. This was how it was supposed to work, wasn't it?

He glanced at Ayeka out of the corner of his eye, and smiled as she daintily dabbed her cheeks with a cloth napkin. While it wasn't really funny, you always noticed Ayeka's refinement. It wasn't that the other ladies had bad manners, except maybe Ryoko, but they just didn't look quite the same as she did at the moment. It was hard to picture the classy young lady next to him as the same person who had nearly knocked him out just a short while ago.

"Tell me, Ayeka. Manners and etiquette seem to be very important to you, yet your mother doesn't seem to be quite so formal. Not that she has bad manners or anything, she just seems more casual in general. Why is that?"

"Well, it depends on what you're asking, I suppose. If you're asking why I act as I do, it's probably because I admire Aunt Funaho. At some point when I was younger, it suddenly struck me that she seemed like the perfect lady. If you're asking why I don't take after my mother more, I guess I don't have that answer. Everyone is different I guess, Sasami seems to be the one who takes after mother in our family."

"That's true. It won't be long now and you'll think Sasami and your mother are actually sisters, not mother and daughter. Sasami's going to look an awful lot like her, except two ponytails instead of one."

"Yes, I imagine she will. I wouldn't put it past Sasami to try and pretend she's mother at some point."

Tenchi chuckled and nodded his head. "That would be like her, wouldn't it? Has she always liked playing jokes on people?"

"Pretty much, yes. Unfortunately, I've been her target much of the time, as well."

Tenchi chuckled some more. He closed his eyes and asked, "So what's it like, Jurai that is?"

"Jurai is a big place Tenchi. You'll have to be more specific."

"Right. Ah, what's it like living in the palace, then?"

"Dull... and interesting, too... and stressful... and relaxing. How to describe it? When things are happening, like council meetings or visiting dignitaries, it's very busy. The servants hustle from place to place. And when there's nothing special going on, it's big and empty. There are still people moving about, but slowly, and less of them. Learning to be a princess was trying, but being a princess gave me access to things like the beautiful gardens and sculptures.

Tenchi opened his eyes and let out a long sigh. "I have such a hard time picturing it. I'm sure I'll go visit some day, but I don't know that I really want to. I like things here too well right now."

"And what man wouldn't, living alone with six beautiful women?"

Tenchi glanced at her again, and saw the small indication of a smile on her face to let him know it was a joke. "That's not what I meant, of course, though I'm certainly not complaining, mind you. What I meant was, I have a peaceful, simple life right now. Good friends, good food... a good life all around, even if certain things about it seem a little crazy. I'm not sure I'm ready for something else any time soon."

Ayeka watched him in silence, not sure what to say. She had always hoped that she would bring him back to Jurai and marry him, but at the moment that didn't seem so important. Just being with him right now felt good, even if she didn't get him to herself forever.

Tenchi sighed again, then stood up. He offered his hand to Ayeka, and helped her to her feet. "I would love to do this for the rest of the day, but I need to go study with Grandpa some more. Military tactics, now. I'm not sure whether I like it or not, but it's interesting some times. I'll see you after that again, of course."

"Yes, Tenchi. You should learn as much from Yosho as you can, he's a very skilled warrior, and a wise man as well." She sighed, "I have some work to do as well, and then lessons with Aunt Funaho."

Ayeka was still trying to understand why she kept having so many problems with Juraian history. She thought she was keeping up in class, but she kept encountering things on the tests which didn't seem to be in her textbooks. Others in the class didn't seem to be having that problem, however.

"Yeah, I heard about that. Learning about Juraian history and culture, etiquette and stuff. It seems logical for you and Sasami, but everyone else?"

Ayeka smiled, fighting off a giggle. "I'm sure there are reasons. Education is never a bad thing and mother and Aunt Funaho are sometimes very persuasive in getting people to do things they might not otherwise."

"Your mother certainly is..."

She couldn't stop the next giggle when answering, "Yes."

They walked back the rest of the way arm-in-arm, Tenchi surprised by his lack of desire to flinch away from her.

--

Ayeka stared at her latest results once again in disbelief. She continued to struggle with Funaho's Juraian history tests. Granted it was only the second one, but Ayeka knew she should be doing better than this. She had no problems with the etiquette or protocol lessons, but for some reason history kept giving her problems. What she couldn't understand was why her Aunt had again put questions on the exam which were not covered in the assigned reading.

The sound of Ryoko snickering next to her brought her out of her reverie. She frowned at the former pirate, then turned away with a sniff. That only elicited a quiet chuckle.

Ryoko whispered, "Imagine poor old me getting a better score on her Juraian history test than the current Princess of Jurai herself. Hard to believe, isn't it?"

Ayeka hissed back quietly, "Who did you copy from this time?" Ryoko only smiled in response, causing Ayeka to grind her teeth. "We'll see who has the last laugh. I believe the final exams will be one-on-one sessions with Funaho, no one else in the room at the time." Ryoko paled slightly as the smile slipped from her face, and it was Ayeka's turn to smile.

"Okay, everyone," Funaho's voice stopped all other conversation, "it's time to move on. We'll move on to structure of the Jurai ruling council at this point. Ah, Sasami? Are you all right? You don't look well."

Heads swiveled to regard Sasami who fidgeted in her seat, a worried expression on her face. Her face got paler as Funaho approached, and Sasami gulped before answering, "Yes... well, sort of."

Misaki was quickly in front of her daughter, examining her carefully. Her brows rose a fraction after examining Sasami, realizing the cause of her discomfort. She said, "Well, out with it. Which prank you've played has gone awry this time, Sasami?"

Sasami managed to blush at that point, removing the paleness from her face. She squirmed in her seat some more, looking longingly at the door. She then turned and sighed to answer, "It's Ayeka. I'm the reason she's doing so badly. I removed some sections from her book."

"WHAT?!" both Ayeka and Ryoko exclaimed at the same time.

Sasami held her head sheepishly and blurted, "I thought it would be funny. Everyone knows she should be doing really well at all of this stuff."

Misaki sighed, shaking her head. "I'm very upset with you right now, of course. I'll have to think about a suitable punishment. For now, how about we make sure Ayeka has a proper book and we move on with class?"

Lessons quickly resumed, with Ayeka throwing a superior smile in Ryoko's direction. Ryoko only scowled and turned to start paying attention to Funaho seriously for the first time since they'd begun. Sasami held her tears in check for the rest of class, barely able to listen at all as she thought about how she would make it up to her sister.

Out on Yukinojo, Kiyone just watched her view screen of Funaho while shaking her head. This was the family she was considering getting seriously involved with?

--

Ryoko watched silently as Ayeka left with Tenchi. This was a moment she hadn't been looking forward to. Ayeka had already spent some time with him today, but now she was going to be with him for the rest of the night. Deciding she didn't want to think about it any more, she started floating off towards her room.

"You're not going to go drink, are you Ryoko?"Sasami's voice made Ryoko pause and spin around in the air. "You drink too much. Why don't you stay here and have fun with everyone?"

Ryoko looked suspiciously at Sasami, then at everyone else. "I'd rather have fun with Tenchi. No offense, but none of you are my type."

Sasami's eyes narrowed and her hands rested on her hips as she stared at Ryoko. "We all want to spend time with Tenchi, you know. You're not the only one who isn't happy when he's with someone else. The rest of use deal with it and are still friends with each other, but you think you have to go get drunk so you can ignore it. Why are you so mean?"

Ryoko blinked hard. "So what, then? I should stay here and play kiddie games and watch TV with all of you?"

Sasami's eyes narrowed even further, but she nodded and said, "Yes."

"Yes? Nothing else, just yes? I can understand you, Sasami, and Mihoshi, too. But the rest of you? Can't you find something better to do than just hanging out here like you're all a big happy family?"

Kiyone answered, "Actually, that's the point, isn't it? As long as we're living here, we pretty much are a family, albeit a really dysfunctional one some of the time. Being friends and spending time together is what families should be doing, not going off and getting drunk sulking."

Ryoko stared at Kiyone in disbelief. "You, too? Of everyone here, I figured you'd be the one who wouldn't want to be around everybody, but you joined right in. What's up with you?"

"I'm making the best of my situation, that's what. Regardless of what Tenchi might decide with all of us, Mihoshi is my partner, and now Sasami and Washu and the queens, and even Ayeka," Kiyone looked hard at Ryoko, "are my friends. Why be miserable if I don't have to? I've got friends here to spend time with besides Tenchi. Do you really think Tenchi's going to spend every second of every day with you if he chooses you?"

"Well, of course not. But we're not gonna live with all of you."

"Are you sure about that, Ryoko?" This time it was Mihoshi joining in the conversation. "Tenchi invited me to stay for as long as I wanted, and even if he chooses someone else, if he'll let me stay, I think I will. I like it here."

"You're not serious!" Ryoko looked around at everyone incredulously. Sasami and Washu nodded their heads.

Kiyone said, "I'm not sure I'd want to actually live here, but someplace close by would be nice, so we could still see each other. My life doesn't revolve around Tenchi. I'm just trying to fit him into it somehow."

Ryoko was almost forced to start pulling her hair out. The people living here were all insane. If Tenchi chose someone else, she'd... She paused in amazement, as she realized she didn't know what she would do. She was so focused on making sure she got Tenchi, she had refused to consider the possibility of not getting him. Everyone else had apparently accepted the fact and decided what they might do.

"Aauugghh! I can't take it any more!" Ryoko disappeared, teleporting outside the house. She flew up into the sky as fast as she could, not stopping until even she felt the bitter cold of the high altitude.

She slowed down and finally stopped, looking about at all the stars, and down at the earth far below. It seemed strange to think how much time she'd spent on that planet. The only place she'd ever spent time before was the Souja, she'd never really had what you'd call a home. Now the thought of being somewhere else was terrifying.

What would she do if Tenchi didn't choose her. Would she and Ryo-Ohki go back to being pirates? That wasn't even a completely accurate description, just one that had stuck for some reason. She had never made a career out of preying on vessels traveling through space. She'd attacked some of course, just like she'd attacked cities and planets, but it was not her career. She'd been following Kagato's orders, and they'd spent more time tracking down rumors of ancient artifacts than actually attacking anything. Even occasional incidents piled up over the course of a few thousand years, though.

No, being a space pirate wasn't something that interested her, and she doubted Ryo-Ohki would want to either. She got a thrill from the battles, but the thought of doing it all the time wasn't appealing. If not that, then what? Nothing interested her except living with Tenchi, as she thought about it. If the only thing she wanted was to live with Tenchi, but he wanted one of the other women, could she still live here just to be near him but not have him?

She slowly fell back towards the earth and eventually hovered over the houses, one filled with ladies relaxing and spending time together, the other by the man she loved and the woman she considered her worst rival. Deciding to find out whether she could stand it or not, she drifted down through the roof of the house back to the living room where everyone else was.

"So... Say I was to stay here with all of you for the time, what's on tap for fun tonight?" Ryoko put on her best smile, though she didn't really feel it at the moment. "Please tell me it's not some sappy soap opera. I can't stand that mushy stuff." She earned some laughter with that. "What?"

Sasami embraced Ryoko in a hug. "Come on, we're playing cards right now." She pulled Ryoko over to the floor in front of the couch. "You can play, it's an easy game, though Mihoshi always seems to win..."

Washu shared a knowing smile with the queens, and turned back to the group as Sasami started explaining the rules to Ryoko.

--

Tenchi brought the two cups of tea over to the couch, handing one to Ayeka as he sat down. He tried to avoid looking at her exposed legs, then blushed as he realized how obvious he was being about it when Ayeka laughed at him quietly. He could see the blush in her cheeks as well, which made him feel only marginally better. They both quickly started sipping their tea to cover their embarrassment.

He thought things should be getting easier at this point, but he felt just as nervous now as he had days ago with Washu. Maybe the second day with each of them would be a little better, but these first dates had all scared the heck out of him. And so far all he'd learned was that he liked every single one of the women, not exactly helping him out in the search for if and which one he might want to get truly serious with.

Struggling for what to talk about, he sipped his tea some more. Conversation was so much easier when it was just casual in nature, not more intimate like this. He finally sighed and went with the cliche, "We've had some nice weather lately, haven't we?"

Ayeka smiled, the laugh barely held in check. "Yes, it is, isn't it?" Relieved to be talking herself, it broke the tension somewhat. "It still seems strange sometimes to not have control over the weather. It's kind of charming in its own way, though, never knowing what the next day might hold."

Tenchi chuckled, imagining perfect weather all the time. The farmers would love that, food supplies would soar. "Every time I get comfortable with all of you, there's always something to remind me of the different worlds we come from. Weather control... I can barely picture what that would be like. We must seem so primitive."

"Well, in a sense, yes. As Washu likes to remind you, the technology here is eons behind the rest of the galaxy. But ignoring that, you're really not much different in the end. It hasn't stopped anyone from staying here with you, now, has it?"

"Yeah. I think I noticed that somewhere along the way, now that you mention it."

Ayeka shared the laugh with Tenchi, finally starting to relax. "Not that I wouldn't mind a smaller crowd, mind you, but I'm enjoying my stay here so far. It's been very relaxing."

"Relaxing? You and Ryoko cause more havoc than any two people I've ever met. Well, not counting Mihoshi and anyone. You call that relaxing?"

Ayeka's smile dipped slightly at mention of Ryoko, but she knew he hadn't meant anything by it. "Compared to living in the Royal Palace back on Jurai? This is incredibly relaxing. I told you a little about it before, but not much about what goes on on a daily basis when you're a princess. Meeting dignitaries, entertaining nobles, politics, schooling, training with mother... Well, I still get to do that now, lucky me..."

Tenchi nearly spit out the sip of tea he had just taken. Swallowing, he laughed and said, "She's really good. I knew I couldn't quite keep up with grandpa, but I never would have guessed how good she was. You're not bad, you know. Some more practice, and you'd hardly need Azaka and Kamidake for protection. Why'd you hide it?"

Ayeka sighed, not really liking the turn in the conversation, but resolved herself to be honest with Tenchi. "It never seemed very feminine to me. It's not like I refused to learn it, but it never seemed that important. People don't challenge women to duels very often. Aunt Funaho's had to a few times, but that's mostly due to her being 'not-Juraian', silly as that is."

"Great-grandma's had duels? That's hard to picture."

"Tell that to the people she beat."

Tenchi laughed, trying to picture Funaho in a sword fight. "So how come your mother's not training anyone with swords, then?"

"Two reasons, probably. One, it's fairly common to start without weapons to get your general fitness. That's where Sasami is right now. Two... brother Yosho. It would likely lead to arguments. I think he'd feel compelled to butt in and correct her due to his superb skill, and she doesn't want to give him any opportunities. She's almost his match without a sword, but with it, he's too good."

"Yeah, you could almost feel the rivalry between the two of them. I couldn't decide if it was friendly or not. There had to be some history there."

"I've heard occasional rumors and gossip, but it was mostly before my time. They trained together a lot when they were younger. I think mother had a crush on him til grandmother Seto found out."

"What? Your mother and grandpa?"

"Well, they were actually very close in age, if you think about it. Mother's quite a few years younger than Funaho."

Tenchi just shook his head. That was just one more thing about his family he really didn't want to think about. "Life is never simple, is it? As much as we'd like it to be, there's always complications."

"I suppose so. I've never thought about having a simple life. I knew from the start it was going to be complicated. You don't like the thought of living on Jurai, do you?"

Tenchi heard the catch in her voice, and turned to face her directly. "I'm not sure. Right now, I just can't picture it, that's all. When I do go, and I'm pretty sure I will some day, I think I could handle it as long as I had someone like you there with me. Someone to show me the ropes, so to speak, but who also understands the place that I come from. More than anything, I'd be afraid of not fitting in because I didn't know what to do. You wouldn't let that happen, though."

"No, I wouldn't. Something you ought to remember about Jurai, Tenchi. Just because I'm the princess, and just because Yosho's the prince, doesn't mean one of us will be the next ruler. It could very well be someone else, politics play a part in who becomes king. Not only politics, but power. Juraians respect power, don't ever forget that. You're likely more powerful than anyone there."

Tenchi shook his head, but Ayeka continued, "You are, Tenchi. I know you don't think of yourself that way, but it's a fact. Nobody else can make Lighthawk Wings without a royal tree, and very few people have a tree. And their tree can't always be there with them, but that doesn't matter for you. I think you'd find that many people there would respect you greatly, whether you felt you deserved it or not. You'd fit in just by being there."

Tenchi shook his head some more. Jurai was so different from what his life was like, and yet here next to him was a perfect example of how the people from Jurai were so similar in many ways as well.

"Whenever you're ready to go, Tenchi, I'll be there with you."

Ayeka blushed a bit, wondering if that had been too forward, but Tenchi obviously took it the way she had meant it. He smiled and nodded, then turned away again, obviously deep in thought. She realized he was probably putting a lot of thought into how different Jurai was from his current life, and decided that it would be a good idea to move his thoughts elsewhere. She rose to her feet, and walked over to place her teacup in the sink. Then she turned around to face him again.

"Thank you for a wonderful day Tenchi. I've wished for this for a long time. I suppose it's getting late, however, I would like to get ready for bed now. May I use your bathroom, please?"

Tenchi looked at her strangely, then laughed. "You don't need to ask my permission, Ayeka. Please, don't let me stop you. I'll probably go get ready in my room while you're in there."

Tenchi also rose to his feet and just smiled as Ayeka bowed for him, managing a tiny one of his own while she turned to disappear with a bundle of clothes. She was such a contrast to most of the others, usually so polite and formal. At times he found it almost silly, but others it was nice knowing she wouldn't be doing anything that would catch him by surprise, like groping his backside.

He closed the door behind him as he entered his bedroom. He rummaged for some pajamas, and slipped into them quickly. Tomorrow night he'd be here by himself for the first time in a week. It would probably be nice to get a good night's sleep for once, he'd slept fitfully much of the time he knew one of the ladies was in his room... usually wearing something that made his brain race.

(KNOCK, KNOCK)

Tenchi tossed his dirty clothes into the basket in the closet, and then turned to open the door. Once again he was frozen in place by the sight before him, and it took him a few moments to tremblingly step back and allow Ayeka into the room.

She was wearing what looked to be one of her under robes from the formal dress robes she usually wore, much like the one she'd been wearing that day long ago in the shed where they'd escaped the rain. He calmed himself down, he'd seen her dressed like this before. In fact he'd seen her in less than this before thanks to Ryoko. He blushed, realizing what he was thinking, and hoping she didn't realize it.

Ayeka shyly walked into his bedroom and looked around a bit. She'd only glanced in before, she hadn't actually looked it over. She pointedly turned to look everywhere in the room, hoping it wouldn't be too obvious she was trying to make Tenchi look at her from every direction. When she finally looked at his face, she saw that he'd been doing just that and blushed a bit.

"It's not very big, is it?"

"Huh?" Tenchi guiltily started, than blinked as he tried to fathom what she was talking about. She couldn't be talking about...

"Your room, it's not very big. This whole house really is pretty small. It's much better suited to being a guest house than someplace to live permanently."

"Ah... ha, ha, yeah, I suppose. That's what dad had in mind, anything more might have seemed a bit extravagant. We still do most things in the other house, any way, so this one doesn't have to be very big." Tenchi breathed a sigh of relief. She'd been talking about the house, of course.

"Yes. Your father's idea certainly has worked out nicely, hasn't it?"

"Um, yeah, I guess." Tenchi rubbed his head furiously. She was obviously just making conversation as she waited for him to do something. She could see where her futon was, though, she didn't need him to point it out to her. "Er... he's a little crazy sometimes, but he's still my dad. It would be nice if he could come out to visit more often, but with me living here right now, he and Rea haven't been able to without inconveniencing someone."

"Yes, he does have an unusual personality sometimes." She continued to stand in the middle of the room looking straight at Tenchi, wondering if he was ever going to realize why she was waiting. She'd been hopeful for the entire day, but so far he hadn't done it. She had resolved that she wasn't going to ask.

Tenchi chuckled. "All the time is more like it. Ummm... I guess it's really about time for bed, it's pretty late."

"Yes, I suppose so. Good night, Tenchi."

Tenchi frowned as he heard the sadness in her voice. She moved past him towards the futon when it finally struck him what she'd been waiting for him to do, probably for the entire day. He caught her by the hand, and decided to do his best to make up for his ignorance.

He turned her to face him, looking into her eyes. "One last thing..." He heard her breath catch as he pulled her close into an embrace. He could feel her trembling, and as he started leaning his face towards her, she shut her eyes. He fought down the chuckle, and gave her a gentle kiss on the cheek. Her eyes flew open, and he could see the tears forming in disappointment, and that's when he kissed her on the mouth. She slumped in his arms, and the tears started trickling out of her eyes.

Tenchi eventually broke the kiss and smiled at her, seeing the happiness in her tear-filled eyes. "Now it's time for bed." She only nodded, and Tenchi chuckled as he realized he was going to have to lay her down since he was still supporting all of her weight. After he had her down on the futon, he stood back up. "Good night, Ayeka. Pleasant dreams."

Ayeka smiled, still lost in thoughts of finally being kissed by Tenchi. "I'm sure they will be..."

--

Washu studied the reports streaming across her display, wondering whether she should do anything about it. Typically only Yukinojo was detectable in local space, but now another was registering. Unless Washu missed her guess it was a Juraian ship with a royal tree. The queens' two ships were tucked away in subspace at the moment, so it shouldn't be either of them. It was attempting to remain hidden, but Washu had quickly figured out how to detect even those after the queens had made their sudden appearance, not wanting to be surprised again.

There could be many reasons for a Juraian ship to be here, of course, so it wasn't necessarily ominous. Washu didn't know the reason, and therefore she intended to keep on eye on things until it was gone or she knew why it was there.

Sure enough, Washu glanced at another monitor which showed the shuttle plunging into the lake, though it appeared her defensive screen had deflected the huge wave from striking either house. That had worked this time, though who knew how many times it had failed in the past. Washu hated success rates in the low teens of percentages. That was all she could manage when Mihoshi was involved.

She turned back to her original screen, and a sliver of fear crept into her. The other vessel was now moving in closer to the earth instead of remaining stationary where it had been previously. She decided she would head out to warn somebody before returning here to monitor the situation.

She wandered out through her lab doorway to the main house. She wandered up the stairs as well, stopping at the door to what she still thought of as Tenchi's room.

She knocked and called quietly, "Funaho... Misaki..."

After a brief moment, Funaho opened the door with Misaki looking over from the desk. Funaho said, "Hello Little Washu. What can we do for you?"

"I just thought I'd let you know that what I believe is a Juraian ship is approaching earth. Any idea who it might be?"

Funaho frowned and looked to Misaki who nodded her head. Funaho sighed, saying quietly, "It's almost certainly our husband. He disappeared from Jurai a little while ago, causing a stir of course. He didn't announce his plans to anyone, but it wouldn't be surprising for him to show up here, since we're here, of course. Do you have an idea how soon he might arrive?"

"Well, I guess it depends on how close the ship needs to get for him to transport down. I'd say within the hour, though."

"Not now! Why couldn't he show up one day later?" Misaki got to her feet with an irritated expression evident. "Well, if Ayeka's going to be able to finish her day, we'd better go head that numbskull off before he finds out what's going on. He'd do something rash. Ready?"

Funaho nodded and followed Misaki from the room, giving Washu a quick "Thanks."

Washu smiled as she followed them downstairs and then disappeared into her lab again. She laughed a bit at the thought of the reception the two queens were going to give their husband. Her laughter faded to a forlorn smile as she thought about the notion of being married again.

--

Marco watched the older man as he stepped out of his vehicle. Their wasn't much resemblance between he and his son, but that didn't always say much.

When the man turned his back to Marco again to pull a few things from the small van Marco made his move. He flashed out of the shadows and threw a stunning blow to the back of the man's neck. The man dropped with a grunt, but amazingly didn't fall unconscious. He shook his head a couple times, then turned his face towards Marco, receiving Marco's full punch across his jaw.

This time he fell senseless, and Marco quickly lifted the body and hustled it into the shadows next to the house. He couldn't remember the last time he'd failed to stun a man from behind with that first blow. There was more to this man than appearances indicated. He shifted the weight carefully, then sprinted with the body to his own vehicle parked close by. He threw the body in, then got back in behind the wheel used to maneuver these primitive vehicles. He congratulated his foresight in first taking the former owner of the vehicle hostage and having them point out the basics of driving the car, or he'd have never been able to do this as easily.

He drove the few miles to the rough terrain where he had set up for transfer back to his ship. He smiled in anticipation of the duel he was going to force on the unsuspecting young boy. He only hoped the boy was foolish enough to bring Kiyone Makibi as an exchange for his father.

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	17. Chapter 16: Duel

Chapter 16: Duel 

Tenchi opened his eyes and stretched, feeling more relaxed than he had in quite some time. He felt a little disappointed in some ways, but he was looking forward to a day without the companionship of one of the ladies. He'd see them all, but he wouldn't feel obligated to favor any of them today.

He looked over at the futon to see the still-sleeping form of Ayeka. It was likely to be breakfast-time soon, but he decided to let her sleep as long as possible, and padded out of the room as quietly as possible to clean up a bit.

He stepped through his door and headed to the bathroom, closing the door quietly behind him. He combed and brushed, doing the few things necessary to face the day, then stepped back outside. He was debating whether to go find some clothes or just wait in the living area for Ayeka to wake up when there was a knock on the door. Knowing what it meant, he went to answer, chuckling to realize it was his first chance to actually answer his own door.

Misaki was waiting as he opened the door, and he greeted her with, "Good morning."

"Good morning to you as well, Tenchi. Breakfast should be ready shortly, and we have some news to pass on as well. Is Ayeka ready?"

"Not quite yet, mother." Ayeka laughed as Tenchi jumped where he was standing. Then she met her mother's questioning gaze, and blushed slightly. Remembering the pajamas Misaki had left for Sasami to sleep in, she steeled herself and returned her mother a confident gaze.

"Well, I suppose we can wait for you to get dressed, dear. Don't waste any time."

"Yes, mother." Ayeka disappeared into Tenchi's room to grab some clothes, then hurried into the bathroom.

Misaki asked, "Well, Tenchi, how have things been going?"

He nearly jumped again, then realized Misaki had now caught him ogling her other daughter just like Sasami the other day at the impromptu beach party. Blushing furiously, he invited Misaki in to sit on the couch. Choosing a chair for himself, he finally answered, "Fine, I guess. This is all still new to me. Maybe a few more weeks and I'll start relaxing, but so far I've been so nervous I could barely think half the time."

Misaki laughed, causing him to blush some more. "Well, that's the way you're supposed to feel, if I'm not mistaken. I wouldn't know, not exactly. I was betrothed to my fool husband when I was just a little girl. I never got to date anyone, but I've heard most people are pretty nervous at the beginning. I'm sure you'll get over it eventually."

Tenchi turned at the slight touch of remorse in her voice. He couldn't read anything in her expression, however, and decided to keep silent for now. Finally Ayeka emerged, dressed in her full Juraian robes like normal, and he stood to greet her.

"I assume you got your kiss last night?" Misaki laughed again, her eyes twinkling. "I can step outside otherwise."

Ayeka blushed once more, then narrowed her eyes. Her mother was unquestionably poking fun at her and Tenchi was pretending not to hear anything, though his face was red. Ayeka answered, "Yes, why don't you step outside mother. We'll be out momentarily."

Misaki nodded, still laughing, then stepped out without closing the door behind her. Tenchi watched in confusion, then jumped as Ayeka took his hand.

"Ah... we kissed last night, Ayeka."

"I know that, but she was teasing me. I decided if she was going to tease me, it should be for a good reason."

Tenchi stumbled as she pulled him close, and barely avoided whacking his forehead on her chin. He stood up to be entwined by Ayeka's arms, and only managed to blink before she kissed him soundly.

Ayeka continued the kiss for a lengthy time, not breaking it until she saw her mother peeking back in through the door to see them. Tenchi stood still as she released him, so she swung him into motion by taking his arm as she so much enjoyed, getting him turned in the proper direction and walking. She couldn't stop the tiny smirk at the raised eyebrow on her mother's face. Misaki didn't say anything, so they made the walk back to the main house in silence.

--

Funaho looked around the table at the mixture of puzzled faces. The news that the King of Jurai had arrived had caused a bit of a stir among the house's residents, all of whom were hoping for more explanation, obviously. Misaki had elected Funaho to pass on the full details once everyone was there, and had gone out to summon Tenchi and Ayeka for breakfast.

Her discussion with her husband last night, along with Misaki of course, had not gone well. Once again he had made his own plans without consulting his wives, and it appeared that nothing was going to shift him from his desired path unless Seto arrived sometime soon with other plans. Since Seto seemed occupied with other matters recently, that was unlikely. They'd barely managed to stall him until today, he'd been all set to make trouble immediately upon arrival.

Only Washu had received the news well, everyone else seemed to be somewhere between apprehension and panic. Sasami seemed to be especially nervous, she'd forgotten to continue working on breakfast so that one of the dishes was ruined.

Nearly everyone jumped when Kiyone entered, followed by Yosho whom she'd been sent to fetch. Her son sent her a questioning look, but Funaho just shook her head slightly and indicated that he should sit down at the table with everyone else while they waited for Tenchi and Ayeka. He acceded, and everyone sat quietly, mostly looking at Funaho. She found herself impatient for Misaki's return with the two, and mentally calmed herself down. Now was not a time to let her emotions get out of hand, there'd be plenty of that from the others.

At last, Misaki entered, followed shortly by Tenchi and Ayeka. Ayeka grasped his arm just long enough to make sure everyone saw her, then sighed and let go so that they could all find a seat at the table. When it became obvious that the news would not be shared until they had eaten, people slowly started in on the dishes Sasami had laid out.

Eating in silence was unusual at the house, and the tension maintained a constant presence while everyone ate. One by one people finished and sat back expectantly until only the two queens were left sipping their tea.

After a few moments, Yosho cleared his throat then spoke, "Perhaps now you will let us know why father is here?"

"Father is here?" Ayeka blurted, then settled herself down again in mild embarrassment.

Funaho and Misaki set their cups down, and after a brief look for each other, Funaho addressed the makeshift family.

"Yes, as you all know now, King Azusa is here. Misaki and I spoke with him last night and we're now going to inform everyone why he is here." She could almost feel the gaze of everyone boring into her as she paused. "We tried to dissuade him from this course of action, but in the end, he is the king and he would not listen."

Funaho turned her gaze on Ayeka first. "As you might be guessing already, he's brought another potential fiance for you."

Ayeka scowled, and reached out to take Tenchi's arm before remembering he'd been sitting between the two queens this morning.

Funaho turned her gaze to Sasami. "Yes, Sasami, this time he's brought a fiance for you as well."

Sasami flinched, sucking in her breath with an audible hiss.

Finally, Funaho turned to Tenchi. "As before, he will allow you to duel for the right of Ayeka and Sasami to remain here. You must of course defeat both of them. If you choose not to fight, Ayeka and Sasami will return to Jurai with their father." Tenchi opened his mouth to answer, but she stopped him so she could continue. "If you fight and win, however, you yourself will return to Jurai with Azusa to begin learning your place in the Juraian royal family."

Tenchi's mouth dropped open, and he couldn't find any words to say.

Continuing, Funaho said, "Furthermore, none of the ladies here will be allowed to accompany you at first. We argued with him for some length of time, but he was most adamant about this point. The arrangement we were able to make is that Tenchi would spend six months on Jurai, then would return to earth for six months. For his first period on Jurai, all of you must remain here. In future trips to Jurai, you will be able to visit if you choose to."

Everyone's mouth now hung open in disbelief, except for Yosho who looked relatively calm. His face no longer looked like that of the son she remembered, but Funaho recognized in the set of his face the anger he was keeping in check. He finally turned to look at Tenchi, and slowly everyone else did as well.

Tenchi closed his mouth and tried to collect his thoughts. He had never expected something like this right now of all times. "So, if I don't fight, Ayeka and Sasami go back to Jurai and get married. If I fight and lose, the same?" Tenchi looked at Funaho, who nodded. "If I fight and beat each of them, they can stay, but I have to go to Jurai by myself?"

Again Funaho nodded, but added, "Not each of them, Tenchi. Both of them, together. Without using your Lighthawk Wings. Full contact with energy swords, first blood drawn decides the winner, and killing strokes are acceptable results. Both of Tenchi's opponents will be allowed to fight on until Tenchi has successfully drawn blood from both."

"That's ridiculous," cried Ayeka.

"Father can't do this," yelled Sasami.

"I'm afraid he can," answered Misaki. "He is the king. He also said that should either of you refuse his terms, you will be disinherited from the family, banished from Jurai, and banned from use of your treeship partner. Your tree partners are of course inseparable from you by any means we have, but any use of them for other than transport purposes would then be considered a violation of Juraian law, and you would be arrested and imprisoned. Azaka and Kamidake would also be forfeit, of course."

Misaki couldn't keep the bitterness out of her voice. She'd argued with him tremendously over those terms, but he hadn't budged one bit, and had threatened her with the same treatment should she refuse. It had been all she could do to restrain herself from slapping him at that moment, and she still might have if Funaho hadn't calmed her by whispering "Trust in Tenchi" in her ear.

Slowly everyone turned back to look at Tenchi. His head continued to spin with the realities of what he was being forced to choose from. He asked quietly, "I don't suppose he gave a reason why?"

Funaho answered, "He did, actually. As far as the duels, his reason is essentially that if Ayeka and Sasami are to remain outside of Juraian protection, he needs proof you are capable of protecting them. For the lessons on Jurai, the reason is simply that it is time for you to take the place within the family that Yosho should be filling. Since Yosho refuses to, the duty falls to you as his grandson to take his place."

"When would the duel be?"

"Immediately. Mihoshi is also not allowed to go on patrol until the duel is completed. This is a Juraian Colony world, so Azusa has the right to order GP from taking active duty in the vicinity should he choose to."

Mihoshi blinked and Kiyone frowned, neither apparently understanding.

Funaho smiled as she looked at the blonde woman. "The last time you managed to crash your shuttle to break up every single duel Tenchi was supposed to have, if you recall?" Mihoshi nodded back at her. "This is just my husband's insurance that won't happen this time."

"Oh. I suppose so," answered Mihoshi. "But I don't crash Yukinojo nearly as often now, Kiyone helps pilot now, so we really only crash every once in a while..."

Kiyone growled, "Forget it Mihoshi. I don't think King Azusa cares at this point if you're piloting or not, he's going to make sure this duel happens. Just let the Juraians figure this out, it's not a GP matter." She scowled as she looked at Funaho, knowing it wasn't the queen's fault but having no place else to direct her anger. 'If anything happens to Tenchi...,' she thought.

Unable to look at anyone, Tenchi asked, "What do you want me to do, Ayeka?"

Ayeka sucked in her breath. The question was almost painful. She had to choose between a marriage to someone she didn't and would never love, banishment from Jurai and disinheritance, or asking Tenchi to likely give his own life in an attempt to save her freedom. Even should he win her freedom, he would then be taken away from her for an extended period of time. She wanted to say she would accept the banishment so she could stay with him, but the notion was completely alien to her. She'd never known a life apart from Jurai until now, and even the prospect of spending her life with Tenchi soured with the thought of Jurai being removed from her life. That choice also did not guarantee Tenchi would be hers, either, she'd be risking everything in her life that might bring her happiness, the man she loved, and the home she loved as well.

"I'm sorry, that question really wasn't fair, was it? It was all I could think of to say at the moment. Don't answer that, Ayeka." Tenchi looked up at Ayeka to see the tears start trickling from her eyes, and he turned to see the same happening from Sasami's. "You either, Sasami. This is my choice to make, isn't it?

Funaho and Misaki both nodded. Tenchi looked over at his grandfather who returned him a steady, unreadable gaze. He thought about all the time he'd spent training with his grandfather, knowing that he'd had situations as bad as this in mind when he'd been training Tenchi. He realized his grandfather wasn't going to give him any answers either.

Tenchi stood up and took a deep breath, waiting for everyone to look up at him. "I guess I fight, then. If you'll excuse me, I'd like to go prepare myself." He turned and disappeared from the room before anyone could say another word.

--

Azusa smiled after receiving the answer from Funaho. The boy was going to fight. Even with the odds stacked against him so heavily, he was still going to fight for Azusa's daughters and then take Yosho's place with the family. He'd been slightly afraid his daughters would convince him not to fight, but then defy his wishes by accepting the banishment he had threatened. That was one bluff he was relieved wouldn't be called.

He punched a button, and the faces of Baron Rugoya and Earl Waruhan looked back at him from his viewscreen. "He has accepted the challenge. Collect your sons and join me for the transport down to the surface." He punched the button again to shut down the screen, not waiting for an answer. He stood to await their arrival, pacing in anticipation.

He looked at the two young men as they arrived, noting the confidence with which they held their swords. They'd been practicing constantly on their trip from Jurai, working on strategies to maximize their potential for winning the fight. It was almost certain victory any way, but Azusa had forced them to work together, minimizing the boy's odds even further. The two obviously did not get along, but had accepted his orders to work together to ensure their own success.

With their arrival, Azusa signaled Kirito mentally, and the five of them were quickly transported down to the surface. He blinked the sunlight out of his eyes, then turned to look at the house which still looked as shabby as before. He still couldn't believe his daughters chose to live a life of labor in this primitive place instead of returning to Jurai as they should.

He waited briefly, then the door to the house opened and his two wives came out, followed shortly by his son and daughters and the other ladies who lived in the house. He heard the quiet whistle of amazement from the younger Rugoya, who was obviously impressed by the number of beautiful ladies present. Only cold looks greeted him, but he ignored them all, confident in his success.

He asked, "Where is Tenchi, then?"

"He'll be along shortly, husband. Perhaps you should go find a seat over there." Misaki waved her hand in the direction of the lake, and he grimaced.

He knew by her use of the term 'husband' she was still extremely upset with him, and it appeared she might be inclined to follow through with her threats to no longer share his bedroom for the next hundred years.

"Ah, yes. Well, maybe not there." He looked for another place to take a seat, but realized he was unwelcome to be anywhere near any of the women at the moment. Even the little cat-girl was scowling at him fiercely, sending a shiver down his spine.

"Perhaps I should introduce everyone, then? Ayeka Masaki Jurai, this is your fiance, Hatori Rugoya, son of Baron Rugoya."

Hatori bowed with his most winning smile on his face while Ayeka just scowled back at him, finally just looking away in disgust without a word.

"Yes. Well, you'll have plenty of time to get to know each other later. Sasami Masaki Jurai, this is your fiance, Sanji Waruhan."

Sanji nodded his head, while Sasami just stared in disbelief at the green spikes of hair on top of his head.

"Ahem. Yes, well, we might as well set ourselves for the match, then."

He moved the two elder nobles off to stand at the side of the dock, leaving the two young nobles warming up with a few stretching exercises while they awaited Tenchi. A movement from down the shore caught his eye, and he looked over to see Tenchi approaching from a small house just down the shore. He frowned, wondering what the significance of that would be.

Catching his look, Misaki said, "He's been staying in that house as of late, husband. It makes a convenient place for him to get away on his dates so he's not troubling the rest of the house."

"Dates?"

"Yes. He's courting all of the ladies present, of course. What else would I mean?"

Azusa felt his blood starting to boil. The boy had the nerve to try romancing his daughters without first asking for permission? He was romancing all of the women as well, not just Ayeka or Sasami. He ground his teeth, and caught the look of curiosity which flashed across Baron Rugoya's face. There was going to be trouble, now. Misaki had certainly known that when she made the announcement in Rugoya's presence, and had done so to spite him.

"Yes. I see. Well, that issue can wait until after the duel is concluded." Azusa turned away from his wife, and signaled the two young nobles to come over for instructions.

"Finish him quickly," Azusa ordered quietly. "However you want, I don't care if you kill him any more. Just make sure he loses. Work together to get it done. If I see either of you interfering with the other in hopes of getting the finishing blow, your engagements are canceled and your title inheritance rights are revoked. Understand?"

Both scowled back at him, but finally nodded under his fierce gaze. They stalked back out onto the dock just as Tenchi arrived. He wasn't sure he could back up his threats against the two, but they had gotten the point and wouldn't mess around hopefully.

Tenchi was carrying the Master Key, as expected. He'd informed the two that Tenchi likely would be, and warned them of its considerable power. There was no way they could overload it with their two swords to cause it to malfunction, it wasn't just a standard energy sword.

Tenchi offered Azusa a bow as he walked out to the dock, then stopped in front of Yosho. "Any advice, grandpa?"

"Take the fight to one of them and finish him quickly. Then fight the other. You can't win if you continue to fight both simultaneously. It's only a matter of time before they get in a good blow."

"I'm not going to kill anyone, grandpa. Or cripple them."

"Then you should prepare to lose, Tenchi."

Tenchi paused, then nodded. "I guess."

He walked out to face the two young nobles without looking at anyone else. He didn't want any extra thoughts to intrude on what he needed to do now. Seeing them limbering up, he did so himself, realizing it would help him relax.

Washu tried to hide the butterflies in her stomach. For the first time, she wondered whether Tenchi was going to be defeated. Mihoshi wasn't going to crash her shuttle to save him, and her luck probably didn't extend far enough to bring something else crashing down at them. A single opponent wouldn't have worried her much, but two presumably hand-picked for their skill with a sword simultaneously seemed unlikely for even someone such as Yosho. She decided to try and break the tension as best she could.

She said, "Not much to look at, are they? I think I might have to root for Tenchi just so a couple clods like that don't win. Green hair spikes. Orange facial hair? Don't they have any rules against looking like idiots on Jurai?" Sasami snickered briefly and Ryoko burst out laughing. The pudgy noble sent a scowl up at Washu, while the other just shook his head.

Baron Rugoya spluttered, "Who are you to say my son looks like an idiot? I'll have you know we are a well-respected family, and my son chooses to be a leader instead of following the herd when it comes to personal looks. What would a child like you know, any way?"

"A lot more than you do, apparently. Bright orange hair does not lend itself to a goatee. People have known that for years, but apparently your son missed the memo. He'd look better with his hair in spikes like the other guy out there."

"How dare you..."

Azusa growled, "Calm down, Rugoya. She's just baiting you. That's Washu. You know, the former genius who was kidnapped from the Galaxy Academy five thousand years ago."

"Current genius, mind you, not former. He kidnapped my body, not my brain."

Rugoya just stared at her in anger for a moment, then turned back to watch. She sighed, trying to think of something else to kill the time which might irritate Azusa. "So, odds are what... 2 to 1 against Tenchi. Care to make a wager, anyone?"

Azusa was startled when Waruhan was the one to turn around with a snarl in his voice, "Name your bet, girl."

Washu looked him over, carefully. Unlike Rugoya, he didn't look like a fop. His son didn't either, and in fact he looked frighteningly dangerous. She'd decided right away that he was probably the better of Tenchi's two opponents.

"Well, we find ourselves in a situation where someplace to stay on Jurai might come in handy. How much is your estate worth?"

Waruhan's eyes bulged, and he swallowed carefully. That was more than he'd ever dreamed of wagering. He'd opened his mouth in defense of his son, though, and he wouldn't back down. There was no way he could lose this bet any way. "I don't know the exact value, but I would guess 120 million, Jurai."

Washu looked to Funaho, who nodded, then back at Waruhan. "120 million, hmmm. Lemme see if I can cover that." She opened a portal, and reached in to pull out stacks and stacks of currency. Everyone's eyes started bulging as she continued pulling out more and more until the pile was impressive. "That should about cover it. Do you need to count it?"

Waruhan picked up a few bills to look at them, making sure they seemed authentic. Convinced, he eyed the stack and shook his head. "No, that should be fine. My wife has been begging for a vacation home on Friela, this should do nicely." He turned back around again, not willing to let the woman see him sweating.

"Uh... mom?" said Ryoko, eying the huge pile of money. "You and I need to have a little chat sometime."

"Oh, I'm so happy. A heart-to-heart with my daughter. This is what all mothers dream of." Washu pulled a struggling Ryoko into a hug, and laughed broadly when Ryoko finally pushed her away.

"I wouldn't mind a wager, either." Rugoya couldn't take his eyes off the pile of money.

"Nah, I'm about tapped out," said Washu. "Maybe someone else."

"I'll cover your bet, Little Washu," said Funaho.

Rugoya's eyes snapped up to look at the First Queen of Jurai. Why would she be so confident in this boy from an evolution-challenged world like this? "What would the bet be?"

Washu considered him for a moment, then asked, "How about that necklace?"

Rugoya's eyes nearly popped, then narrowed in anger. "This necklace has been the symbol of my family for over thirty-thousand years. It's priceless, you can't put a value to it."

"Ah, well, that's too bad. I already have an estate on Jurai, so I don't need another. I've got a feeling yours would be tacky, any way. I guess we'll just have to pass this time."

Rugoya fingered his necklace in consideration. His son was the best at the schools, with the possible exception of Waruhan who was also fighting. There was no way his son could lose. "Fine. One hundred million, Jurai of course."

"One hundred million? For a gaudy necklace? That doesn't seem reasonable. Funaho?"

"I can accept that."

"Hmmm. Why do I feel like you have ulterior motives here?" Washu looked at Funaho, trying to read the woman. It made perfect sense, of course. If Tenchi won, everything was fine. If Tenchi lost, Washu would owe Funaho an enormous amount of money, which she would probably be willing to overlook for a favor of some kind. Washu's eyes narrowed, but she nodded and turned back to Rugoya. "Done, then. Better start thinking about a new family symbol."

"We'll see, won't we?" Rugoya spun back to face the combatants again, and it looked like everyone was ready to begin.

Azusa stepped forward. "Just to be certain nobody can cry foul... This is a duel to first blood, Tenchi must wound both opponents to win. While a killing or crippling stroke would be unfortunate, it is a legitimate conclusion to the fight should it happen. Otherwise, no time limit, no other rules. Agreed?" Azusa received nods from Rugoya and Waruhan and a bow from Tenchi. "Does anyone wish to concede defeat before we begin?" This time he received three shakes of the head. "If so... Begin!"

The two Juraians quickly spread out to approach Tenchi from the sides. He watched the orange-goateed man on his left carefully while angling to his right to prevent the green-spiked man from getting behind him. He slowly gave ground, letting the two close on him. The logical thing for him to do would be to get his back against a wall of some kind, but he knew that wouldn't help him against energy swords, they'd tear right through wood and right into him. His best chance was to finish things fast before they knew what had happened, but he refused to seriously hurt either of the two.

He quickly switched directions and jumped forward to attack Orange, leaving a surprised Green behind him momentarily. He flicked his sword out towards Orange in a blow meant to test Orange's speed, and it met the man's sword with a crack inches from his chest. He quickly spun away to his left knowing Green would be following, and he barely escaped the slash he had expected.

Tenchi was again forced to slowly give ground before the two, but he'd learned what he needed to about Orange for the moment. He parried some strikes from each which were obviously intended to test his defenses, then he stopped at the right moment to lunge at Orange. He felt his sword pierce the man's left shoulder, but not wasting a moment, he again swung away from the two to avoid any return blows.

Azusa grimaced when he saw the gash appear on Rugoya's shoulder, but maintained his calm, knowing the blow was almost immaterial with the rules for this duel. "Do it!" he yelled, looking at the two young Juraians.

Hatori Rugoya was staring in disbelief at the gash on the outside of his left shoulder. He'd had no chance to parry the blow, the earthling had moved with a speed that was unbelievable. He heard Azusa's shout though, and his focus returned to the duel. He could still win. He moved forward, and he felt the presence of Sanji Waruhan moving in behind him as they faced the boy.

Tenchi watched them carefully, recognizing what was about to happen. Green had suddenly shifted into a defensive formation behind Orange, meaning Orange was likely to attack all-out without concern for any injuries he might take in the process. All he needed to do was land a single strike on Tenchi, even if Tenchi landed a dozen in return, so long as he did not strike Green.

He swung about, circling, and confirmed his suspicions, Green circled opposite, always keeping Orange between them. And then Orange attacked.

Tenchi slowly backed away, parrying furious blows with the skills learned during thousands of hours practicing against his grandfather. They were not nearly as fast as Yosho's attacks, so he was not pressed as hard as it likely appeared to someone watching. The important thing to watch for was the moment when Green would make a mistake and place himself in harm's way. He needed to remain close behind Orange to benefit from the other man's protection. If he left too much space between them, Tenchi could get between and attack Green for the possible win.

He fought off the last few blows of Orange's assault and then retreated after landing a slash across Orange's right thigh. He put about twenty feet between his opponents and himself, and took the opportunity to rest while his opponents gathered themselves again. Blood was streaming from the wound on Orange's shoulder and it leaked from the one on his leg. His own breathing was becoming labored, however, while Green rested behind the protection of Orange. Eventually he was going to become too tired to fight effectively, even if Orange also fell out of the match due to fatigue.

Hatori Rugoya gulped air while watching his opponent. He'd realized already that he could have been killed by the boy had he so chosen. This Tenchi person was not only fighting two opponents, he was fighting in a way that limited his abilities as well, and still he had successfully held off his two attackers. He was unquestionably the most skilled opponent Hatori had ever faced. But still, the important thing was to somehow score a hit on the boy. Marriage with the princess and a chance to become king were on the line, there was no point in feeling intimidated. It was just a single strike getting through...

Tenchi watched Orange lift his sword again, and prepared himself for another onslaught. As expected, Orange launched another furious assault, leaving huge gaps in his defense which Tenchi could have used to kill him if he had been willing to take a blow in return. He couldn't afford to do that, though, so he settled for occasional light hits opening more wounds on Orange, hoping he'd tire soon enough for Tenchi to still face Green evenly.

In only another minute or so, Tenchi could see the signs that Orange was going to wear out, and decided to press the attack to finish him off. He suddenly shifted from a defensive stance and went on the attack, hoping Orange would be too slow to capitalize on any mistakes he might make. In only a fraction of a minute, Orange was gasping for breath and there was no doubt he would be unable to continue. Green could obviously see the same thing and moved out from behind to suddenly press the attack back.

Tenchi fell back defensively again, frustrated by his inability to put Orange out of the match. Another ten or fifteen seconds and Orange's guard would have been so low he could have knocked the man out with a punch, but now he got to sit and gather himself while Tenchi fought with Green. Tenchi could not afford to lose sight of the man, however, he could sneak in a strike if Tenchi turned his back. Green was obviously attempting to force that upon Tenchi, trying to drive around him so Tenchi's back would be exposed.

His wind was starting to run down, and Tenchi quickly realized his current opponent was even better than Orange. Green was taller and faster than Orange had been, and while he was quite thin, he had enough muscle to keep his attacks strong. In a one-on-one match, Tenchi knew he'd have been able to defeat Green, but now that he was worn out from fighting Orange, a fresh Green was too good. The only option was to try something risky in hopes of hitting Green before he himself got hit. As if able to sense what Tenchi was going to try, Green suddenly shifted back to a more defensive stance, waiting for Tenchi to make his move.

Trying to keep the gasping Orange in his sight, he moved forward cautiously to attack Green. He had an idea in mind and finally managed to detect the series of block Green would use against a certain combination. If he gauged it just so, he might be able to slip a slash across Green's forearm by leaving himself wide open in return. In a fight to kill it was not a move anyone would try, but with the current rules, it should work, assuming he managed to actually get Green with his surprise.

He was just leading into the series of attacks he planned when he realized he'd lost sight of Orange, and panic caused him to leap away from his current spot. He spun in the air as he fell back to the ground and saw Orange with his energy sword stuck half way up it's length into the wood of the dock where Tenchi had been just a second ago. Tenchi took stock of himself briefly, making sure he hadn't been wounded, and breathed a sigh of relief when he found nothing.

This time Orange looked completely spent, he wasn't likely to get up, so Tenchi took the chance and again took the attack to Green, hoping Orange really was out. After trading a few blows, Tenchi gradually worked Green into the combination attack he'd been planning to use. A few more and...

Tenchi jerked his body off balance, flicking his sword at Green's left arm, hoping he wouldn't accidentally cut it off. He lurched, having contorted his body into a position it would normally never reach if he used his proper techniques. He felt his sword catch Green's flesh at the same moment he felt Green's sword bury itself in his thigh. He fell to the ground, completely spent, and watched almost distractedly as Green frowned and looked at his arm.

Pandemonium had meanwhile broken out among the spectators. Shouts of "he won" and "he lost" and "they won" were coming from everywhere simultaneously. Azusa frowned, uncertain of the actual outcome. They were moving so fast, it had seemed they struck each other at the same time. Figuring everyone else would have seen the same, he called, "That was a draw. The match will continue until either Waruhan or Masaki have been injured once more."

Tenchi struggled to get back to his feet, then dropped back again when he felt the slash across his shoulder. That was it, he'd lost.

Azusa shouted in triumph, "Waruhan wins. And Rugoya." Nothing but silence greeted him, and he scowled at the ladies who were all looking at Tenchi with concern in their eyes.

Tenchi turned over to look at Green who looked back almost sadly. The young man held out his hand and helped Tenchi to his feet.

"Sanji Waruhan," he introduced himself, then bowed. "That was the most impressive display of swordsmanship I've ever witnessed. It was a shame you had to lose to such unfair tactics."

"Thanks, I guess. No slight intended, but that doesn't make me feel much better right now, knowing what losing that match meant."

"I'll treat Sasami well. I might not look it, but I'm an honorable man. For you to go through that for her benefit tells me something."

Tenchi nodded as he shook the man's hand. Together they turned to approach Rugoya, who was now being fussed over by his father.

Hatori slapped his father's hands away, and lurched to his feet to face them. "Well done, Waruhan." He turned his gaze on Tenchi. "Princess Ayeka's better off with a man of Jurai than some backworld descendant of former nobility. This is as it should have been."

Tenchi felt his face flush in anger, but blinked in surprise when Sanji's sword flashed out to point at Hatori.

"Cowardly words are to be expected from someone such as you. Would you care to test your worthiness for the first princess against me?"

Hatori just scowled and held up his hands. "As you can see, I am quite injured due to the need for me to protect you from this earthling. Some other time, perhaps." He turned away, and stumbled towards his father.

Sanji let his energy sword disperse, and then tucked the hilt away. Not wasting any time, he pulled Tenchi's arm across his shoulder to help him walk. Tenchi smiled, and let go.

"It's okay," Tenchi said. "Watch." He frowned in concentration for a moment, then quickly the two wounds could be seen closing themselves up through the tears in his clothes. "See."

Sanji's eyes were wide in surprise. "That's amazing. If this had been a real fight, you would have defeated us easily with that ability. You are indeed a formidable person, Tenchi Masaki."

"If you say so." Tenchi sadly turned to look at the crowd of women and his grandfather. "Guess you were right, Grandpa. I tried, but I couldn't do it without killing anyone."

"You fought very well, Tenchi. We'll need to correct some of your techniques, especially that last one, but I think it's obvious who is capable of protecting whom, now." Yosho slipped his gaze from Tenchi to his father, who only pretended not to hear anything.

"It wasn't good enough, though, was it?" asked Tenchi. "I'm very sorry, Ayeka, Sasami. I wish I could have done better."

Fighting through the sadness she felt, Ayeka smiled at him and shook her head. "No, Tenchi. You should not feel bad, you fought two superb opponents by yourself and nearly won. You couldn't do more than that."

"You were fantastic, Tenchi." Sasami leapt forward to hug him, and he barely had time to suck in a breath before she hit him.

"Yeah, that was amazing, Tenchi," said Kiyone. "You were moving so fast at times, I could barely even follow what was going on."

"Mmm, hmmm," agreed Mihoshi. "You're the best, Tenchi."

"Darn right he is! Nobody's better than my Tenchi," crowed Ryoko.

"Miya," added Ryo-Ohki.

"Thanks everyone," Tenchi answered. "But I still lost." He looked down at Sasami who was still wrapped around him, tears in her eyes. "I'll miss you Sasami. Sanji seems like a good person, I think you'll like him." The tears sprung from Sasami's eyes, and she buried her head in his chest. He turned a sad smile on Sanji. "You're going to love the food. Try not to get fat."

Sanji frowned in confusion, then nodded his head.

"What's with all the gloomy stuff, any way?" asked Washu. "Tenchi won."

"WHAT??!!" shouted everyone in unison.

"Was I the only one watching the match? Tenchi drew blood first."

"I think you're quite mistaken, Miss Washu," sputtered Azusa.

"Little Washu to you, King. And I don't make mistakes, except when Mihoshi makes them for me." Azusa's face starting reddening in anger, so Washu cut him off. "Fine, we'll all watch the replay, okay?"

Washu materialized a terminal and viewscreen, punched a few keys, and the stood aside to let everyone watch. "Okay, here's where Tenchi got orange-goatee-face-guy, we all saw that, correct?"

"Yes, yes, of course we all saw that," shouted Azusa. "Show the part between Tenchi and Waruhan."

"Keep your britches on, King. Let's see..." Washu punched a few more keys, scrolling the action forward. "Right about here, yes? Okay, watch carefully. Here, I'll zoom in a little, so we can see the blood flying. All right now watch as I step through this. Here's where Tenchi starts making his move. Any idea exactly what that move was Yosho? I don't believe I've seen it before. Any way, watch Tenchi's sword strike green-spiky-hair-guy right here. And if we step one more frame, there..."

Washu zoomed in the camera view to highlight the drop of blood next to the tip of Tenchi's sword. She then back it out and zoomed it in on Waruhan's sword. "As we can all see, Waruhan's sword is just making contact with Tenchi, but no blood. Not for at least another frame or two. Therefore Tenchi drew blood first, making him the winner."

"That's ridiculous. What's the time for a frame? I'm sure you'll tell me it's some ridiculously small fraction of a standard time unit." Azusa's face was almost purple with rage.

"Well, I didn't make the rules, now, did I? You said first blood, Tenchi drew blood first. The subsequent cuts inflicted upon him are irrelevant once he drew blood. Next time come up with better rules." Washu dematerialized her terminal and viewscreen with a flourish. "As we all saw, Tenchi is the winner. Now let's quit all this gloomy talk and go celebrate! Personally I plan on all the Tenchi time I can get before he goes to Jurai for six months. Come on loverboy." Washu grabbed the flummoxed Tenchi by the arm and started dragging him towards the door to the house.

"Hey, wait a minute Washu!" Ryoko grabbed Tenchi's other arm and started pulling the other direction. Soon all the women had hold of Tenchi, pulling in all directions.

"Ah, ladies?" asked Misaki, making sure she got their attention. "I think you're hurting him." She pointed at the nearly unconscious Tenchi, sagging between them all. All of them let go simultaneously, and Tenchi fell to the ground with a thud.

"Tenchi," they all yelled, except Ryo-Ohki who "Miya"-ed, and grabbed hold of him again.

"For heavens' sake. Leave him alone, ladies. Funaho and I will bring Tenchi into the house when he's recovered and we can have a meal to celebrate." Misaki shooed them all away.

"This is ridiculous! Those strikes were clearly at the same time, it was a draw, and Waruhan won it with his next stroke." Baron Rugoya's face had made it all the way to purple, surpassing even Azusa's.

"Actually, I disagree," Sanji Waruhan addressed the Juraian King. "You saw the scene just like the rest of us. Tenchi clearly drew blood first, even if it was the tiniest fraction of time before I did. Tenchi won, we lost."

Azusa spluttered, but couldn't manage to say anything.

"That's enough, husband. Don't make me add another hundred years." Misaki looked pointedly at her husband, who quickly sobered. "Tenchi won, you lost. Accept your defeat like a man as young Waruhan obviously has."

"I suppose that means our estate is forfeit." Earl Waruhan dropped his head in defeat. "I'll make the appropriate arrangements to transfer ownership to you when we return to Jurai, Miss Washu. If I might beg a favor, could we remain there until we find a new home to live in? It shouldn't take long, but it would be hard to move immediately."

"Ah, forget it. All that cash was counterfeit, any way. You can keep the place, since your son is such a good loser. And call me Little Washu, if you please."

"M'lady is most gracious. You're welcome to stay anytime you come to visit, ah... Little Washu." Earl Waruhan bowed to Washu, who nodded in return.

"Then, my bet with you is also forfeit." Baron Rugoya sighed in relief, cupping his necklace in his hands.

"Actually, I believe Funaho was covering that bet for me, so the funds for that one were legitimate. I think it's time you handed over the necklace." Washu held out her hand.

"Father, no! You can't let them do this. We won that fight, this whole thing is preposterous!" Hatori grabbed his father by the arm, preventing him from removing the necklace.

"That will be all! Baron! Hatori! Hand over the necklace and return to the ship. Tenchi won the duel, we lost. It's over." Azusa turned his commanding stare on the two Rugoyas, cowing them. Hatori let go of his father, then turned and stalked away to stand by himself. The Baron slowly pulled the necklace over his head and handed it to Washu. Then he forlornly walked over to stand next to his son. Azusa gave the command to his treeship and the two dematerialized, transported back to the ship.

Washu looked at the amulet, then tossed it to Funaho. "Here, it's yours. I never wanted it, I just wanted to put him in his place. You covered the bet, I'm sure you can find some use for it."

"Thank you, Little Washu. Perhaps I can persuade him to keep quiet about the situation here on earth which someone so unwisely blurted in his presence." Funaho never looked at Misaki, but the other queen managed to look a little sheepish.

"Yes, now that thing's are settled..." Azusa straightened his robes as he spoke. "I expect you'll need to start packing, Tenchi. We'll provide you a room and an appropriate wardrobe of course, but I assume you'll want to bring a few of your own things along."

"WHAT?" screamed everyone simultaneously.

Misaki's eyes narrowed. "You're planning for him to return immediately?"

"Naturally. That was the agreement was it not?"

"I don't recall returning to Jurai immediately being part of the agreement, husband. I believe you can allow Tenchi a bit of time to get organized and finish business here. You can run along home, Funaho and I will bring him later." Misaki dismissed him with a wave as if he were unimportant, and Azusa's face started tingeing towards purple again.

"Well, the sooner we get this started, the sooner I get back here, I suppose," Tenchi sighed.

"We only had one date...," cried Ayeka.

"Six months...," moaned Sasami.

"We finally kissed...," sighed Mihoshi.

"I'll have to learn the bus schedule to Kurashiki," said Kiyone.

"Miya, miya, meow, miya, mreowr...," said Ryo-Ohki.

"How should I know who's going to grow the carrots, Ryo-Ohki...," growled Ryoko.

"I think that will be enough for now. I would like to talk with my grandson for a bit if you all please?" Yosho took Tenchi by the shoulder and started guiding him away. "I'll bring him back in plenty of time for all of you to see him before he leaves. Father..." Yosho bowed to Azusa, then guided Tenchi towards the path to the shrine. Everyone watched them leave in a stunned silence.

"Well, I guess it's time for us to be off, then. Earl Waruhan. Sanji." Azusa walked out a bit, followed by the final two Juraian nobles, and they quickly disappeared.

Sasami turned to Misaki and begged, "Isn't there something you can do, mother?"

"I'm sorry, Sasami. His mind is set on this matter. We've argued with him and threatened him already to no avail. I'm afraid Tenchi will have to go to Jurai for now. We'll keep an eye on him." Misaki hugged her daughter.

"Well, then, I guess there's nothing left to do but... PARTY!" Washu materialized a few party hats and whistles onto everyone's heads and mouths.

"Oh, I need to go start cooking!" Sasami scampered into the house.

Looking at the whistle with amusement, Funaho said, "Yes, I believe a goodbye celebration would be in order. We should all go start getting it ready, I believe, Sasami shouldn't do it all by herself."

"I'll get the sake!" shouted Ryoko, disappearing before anyone could stop her.

"Well, normally I'd object to drinking this early in the day, but under the circumstances..." Kiyone laughed. "My first date in forever, and suddenly my boyfriend is leaving for half a year. Life's playing another cruel joke on me, I think. Just when I was starting to like being here, too..."

"Oh, come on Kiyone. He'll be back before you know it. We'll just have more time for patrolling this way. It'll be fun..." Mihoshi was tugging on Kiyone's sleeve to pull her towards the house.

"You've got a strange idea about what's fun, Mihoshi." Kiyone just sighed and let herself be dragged into the house, followed by everyone else.

--

Yosho sat quietly as Tenchi poured tea for the two of them. He watched his grandson carefully to see how he was handling his sudden life-changing circumstances. It was hard to detect anything but the fatigue he was certainly feeling from his exertions just a short time ago, but Yosho could sense the tension under the surface, as well.

Tenchi placed the pot down on the short table, and sat down facing his grandfather. They both sipped in silence for a few moments until Tenchi couldn't stand the silence any more.

"You had something you wanted to talk about with me?"

Yosho lowered his cup to hold it in his hands on the table and looked Tenchi in the eyes. "Are you going to go through with this, Tenchi?"

"That's what I agreed to, isn't it? Yeah, I'd like to stay here, but I've always expected to go to Jurai some day. Now's as good a time as any. Maybe better, I can clear my head for a while away from the girls."

Yosho raised an eyebrow in curiosity. He'd jumped right to the issue Yosho had expected him to avoid. "So nothing has come from your little experiment with the ladies?"

"No, not really. I'm not sure what I was thinking. I mean, I do know, I just didn't realize what was going to come of it. I think I'm a little closer to all of them now than I ever have been before, and I suppose that's a good thing. But I certainly don't have a clue as to whether any of them is the one to spend the rest of my life with. How do you choose between a diamond and a bar of gold and a pile of money? They all make you richer, just in a different way."

Yosho nodded, and took another sip of his tea. "So the girls all make your life richer in their own ways?"

Tenchi nodded, blushing a bit in embarrassment. "Yeah, I guess that's what I meant. I can't picture my life without any of them, even all the turmoil they bring makes me happy in its way. Even Ryoko and Ayeka's fights. I don't like it when they fight, but it would seem strange for it to suddenly be gone."

Yosho nodded to himself, then sipped tea in silence for a while as Tenchi did the same. He started the conversation again with, "So what will you do for the next six months without any of them around?"

"That I really can't answer. I always hoped that when I did go to Jurai, for whatever reason, Ayeka and Sasami at least would be there with me. They'd make it a whole lot easier to transition into a life as part of Jurai."

"You're willing to become part of that society, then, leaving Earth behind?"

Tenchi sipped his tea to give it some thought before answering, "Not necessarily. I never thought about leaving Earth behind. In some respects, what grandfather decided for me isn't so far from what I thought might work for me eventually. Six months at a time is probably more than I was looking for, but I kinda figured eventually I'd spend some time on Jurai every year."

"I see. So you plan to split your time between here and there. How did you plan to do that?"

Tenchi laughed, "I hadn't gotten that far, grandpa. I suppose I figured at some point I'd probably end up with a ship of some kind, or something like that. I mean, it kinda seems like everyone in my family has a ship except me, you know?"

"So they should give you a ship just because you are part of the royal family, then?"

"No, no. Not exactly, any way. Well, maybe. I don't really know much about how that sort of thing works, I'm still an earthling, you know. Is that wrong, expecting something because I'm from a royal family?"

"That would depend on what you expect. If you want people to give you things just because of who you are I will consider my lessons to have been wasted on you. If, however, it is by fulfilling your duties to your family and people, then perhaps you should expect something. Being royalty is more of a duty than an honor, you'll learn that quickly."

"I guess you'd know, wouldn't you? It's still hard to picture you as the Crown Prince of the most powerful civilization in the galaxy. You don't really act it much of the time, you know."

"I don't?" Yosho put on a mock face of outrage. "And how is a Crown Prince from the most powerful civilization in the galaxy supposed to act then, hmmm?"

"Well, he wouldn't goose the ladies living in his son-in-law's house when he's posing as a Shinto Priest."

"Really? The boy who's dating six women at the same time is shocked by such outlandish behavior?"

"I didn't plan to have six women in my life, grandpa. Nobody asked my opinion on the matter."

"Yes, that must be very tough to handle. I'm sure we couldn't find anyone who would be willing to trade places with you."

"Very funny." Tenchi scowled at his grandfather in irritation.

"Well, enough talk of the ladies, I'm sure you'll get more than enough attention from them later to not dwell on them right now. Watch out for yourself on Jurai. I'm not sure what my father has planned for you, but there's a good possibility he will not be kind. One thing my father dislikes is people who defy him. Only mother and Misaki, and Seto of course, can get away with it without suffering his wrath in some form."

Tenchi's eyes furrowed in thought, and Yosho silently wished him luck. Another thought crashed out of his head to his mouth. "And whatever you do, stay away from Seto, and when that doesn't work, try to be as boring as you possibly can."

"Boring?"

"It probably won't work, but anything is worth the chance when she's involved. If she takes an interest in you, you'll quickly realize why hiding on earth seems appealing." Yosho smiled knowingly for Tenchi's benefit.

"Um... okay."

"You'll do fine. Just be yourself, but most important, be strong. Juraians respect that. Don't let anyone walk all over you or push you to do things you don't want and you'll fit in and be successful."

"I'll try, grandpa."

"Of course you will. And whatever you do, don't forget who you are. You're a prince of Jurai, so act like it."

"Sure..." Tenchi looked at his grandfather, the questions obvious in his eyes and voice.

"Well, that's enough for now. If I'm not mistaken there'll soon be numerous pretty ladies getting drunk in your house. We shouldn't miss out on this opportunity, should we?"

Yosho rose to his feet with a laugh as Tenchi cried, "Grandpa!"

"Come on, Tenchi. Let's go have some fun. You won't get to see these ladies again for six months. You ought to spend as much time with them now as possible. You'll regret it if you don't."

Tenchi got to his feet and followed Yosho to the door. "Yeah, you're right about that. I'm gonna miss this place, even all the beatings you gave me."

Yosho clapped Tenchi on the back. "You're going to Jurai, now, Tenchi. People are going to want to test themselves against you occasionally. You're ready now, you can hand out the beatings from now on. Just remember when you come back home I'll be waiting."

Tenchi laughed, "Sure thing, grandpa."

--

While no one was roaring drunk, everyone was a little tipsy. Even Sasami had gotten a taste of the sake, though in her case only enough to make her cheeks warm. Tenchi tolerated the blatant and not so blatant proposals with relative grace, laughing for the most part. In fact, he'd managed to make a couple of the girls blush at one time or another, surprising both them and himself. He blamed it on the liquor.

Sasami's meal had been stupendous, as usual, and with full stomachs and a little alcohol people gradually started finding themselves sleepy. Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki had fallen asleep shortly after finishing the meal, missing out on most of the revelry.

Tenchi watched as one by one his house guests started collapsing on couches or chairs to catch a nap, but he found he wasn't really tired. Too many things were running around in his brain at the moment for him to fall asleep. Foremost was his upcoming trip to Jurai, taking him away from the home he loved. He was a little worried about not being able to contact his father, but figured he was busy with one project or another. Rea was visiting her mother at the moment so he didn't want to bother her just to try and track his father down. Yosho could make the necessary explanations.

His gaze fell on the dozing Mihoshi, and he smiled ruefully. It was hard to fathom how one person could create so much havoc without intending any of it. She was so beautiful, and at the same time so innocent. Her upbeat personality usually made him feel better, and her forthrightness made him feel bad for keeping secrets from her, even if it was to avoid hurting her feelings.

His eyes moved on to Ayeka, and he felt just as sad to be leaving her, but for only slightly different reasons. Her grace and manners made him want to be the gentleman she obviously wanted him to be. Her regal manner served to remind him of who he was so that he'd been able to come to grips with his own heritage. She had a fragile beauty so different from Mihoshi's, yet appealing just the same. Even her fights with Ryoko had reminded him that she could be a fierce warrior when challenged.

That turned his gaze to Ryoko herself. He'd known her the longest, though not by much. She was also beautiful, but she radiated a sexiness the others generally didn't. She was aware of how beautiful she was, and proud of it. He guiltily admitted to enjoying the numerous sights of her body he'd gotten during the time she'd lived with him. Her passion was sometimes intoxicating, she pushed him to try hard at improving himself with his martial studies in hopes of meeting her beliefs.

Next he looked at Sasami and sighed at the thought of not eating her cooking for the next six months. Her childish personality made him happily remember his younger days without many cares. The wonder of learning new things and playing with friends, or just reading a book quietly with his mother. She also had that mischievous streak which came out from time to time, and as long as he wasn't the target it was usually pretty funny. He would miss her happy personality, and that stubborn streak which emerged from time to time.

Kiyone dozed with her head on Mihoshi's shoulder, which he was certain would embarrass her terribly if she knew somebody was watching. She'd been a refreshing change in the house. He liked all of them, but sometimes understanding where the other ladies had come from was confusing. Kiyone just seemed so much easier to understand, not much different than someone you might meet here on earth. He still didn't understand what she saw in him, but he'd been trying to figure that for all of the other women for a long time and hadn't gotten anywhere.

Washu sleeping out in the living room was a strange sight. He couldn't recall seeing her sleeping more than a handful of times in all of her time here. She did it at odd hours, and usually in her lab. Of all the ladies she confused him the most, and yet her infectious amusement with life was invigorating in its way. Watching her taking care of Taro had impressed on him how different she could be from her normal antics, he'd never forget how comforting it had been to see her taking such great care of a baby.

And then there was Ryo-Ohki. One thing he'd learned with her around was that being a parent was not easy. He respected anyone who'd done it successfully much more than ever before. He would definitely miss the time he'd gotten to spend teaching her how to work in the fields, and just generally watching her grow and mature. She might be a completely different person by the time he made it back, there was no telling how much she might grow in half a year.

His grandfather and the queens were talking quietly at the table still, and he indicated to them he was going to head back to his house to gather a few things. They waved and smiled him away, then returned to their conversation, so Tenchi wandered out, stopping only to look around at the house and countryside for a bit before heading into his father's guest house to gather what few things he felt he'd need to bring.

--

Washu's eyes popped open, and she quickly realized she'd been sleeping for a few hours. She glanced around at all the other sleeping bodies nearby, and not finding Tenchi, she turned to the sound of the queens and Yosho speaking quietly. "Where's Tenchi? He hasn't left yet, has he? That would be just like him to sneak off without saying anything."

Yosho turned to her and said, "Tenchi has not left yet, rest assured. He is merely meditating for the moment as a final lesson in his Shinto studies before he leaves. I'm sure he'll say goodbye before he leaves."

"He'll need to come back here, he has no way to reach the ship on his own," said Funaho. "We won't send him up until he says his farewells."

"Well, that's good. He still owes me something, and he'd better not try and leave before I get to collect. Yo sleepyheads, up and at 'em." Washu wandered about the room, shaking people awake. "This better not be the last memory of this place you leave Tenchi with. Geez, I ought to just let them sleep and keep Tenchi to myself til he leaves. Let's go ladies."

The other residents gradually roused, and realization sunk in for each in their own way.

"He's still here, right?" cried Sasami.

"I can't believe we let you bring Sake," moaned Ayeka, holding her head as she looked at Ryoko.

"What time is it? Do we need to go on patrol yet, Kiyone?" Mihoshi blinked her eyes, obviously not fully awake yet.

"No, Mihoshi. We're not going on patrol until after Tenchi leaves, remember?" Kiyone rubbed her temples, due to both the alcohol and her partner.

"Miya? Meow, mreowr?" asked Ryo-Ohki.

"No, I still don't know who's going to grow the carrots, Ryo-Ohki, give it a rest." Ryoko looked around. "Where is he?"

"Tenchi is meditating. He should hopefully be back shortly. I figured we could all use the time to make ourselves presentable before he leaves, instead of showing him the slovenly drunkards he witnessed already." With that, Washu headed for her lab.

"Oh, my, where's a mirror. My eyes look all right, don't they Mother?" asked Ayeka.

Misaki shook her head. "Maybe next time you'll think before you drink. Nothing ever good comes of getting drunk."

"Hmmm, quite true," said Yosho with a glance at his mother. She frowned at him, and he switched back to an innocent face.

Ayeka headed for the stairs, followed shortly by most of the others except Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki. Ryoko just phased the alcohol out of her system, then materialized her teal and pink dress into place. Ryo-Ohki changed into cabbit form and hopped into Misaki's arms to be petted.

"I think I'll go get Tenchi. He's meditated long enough. If he managed to relax his mind enough to meditate at all in a situation like this he's made great progress." Yosho strided for the door.

"Yes, he should have enough time to say his goodbyes this way," said Funaho. "Shall we go start packing, then? Azusa can wait a while longer, it's good for him to learn he doesn't get everything he wants when he wants it."

"Yes, I think I'm going to make it 200 years for dragging Tenchi away so fast," replied Misaki. She leaned in close to Funaho conspiratorially. "I might look into having an affair, too, just for the fun of going on a real date. I was reminded recently I never got to do that growing up."

"Hmmm, that's an interesting idea, sister." Funaho led Misaki up the stairs, Ryo-Ohki blissfully resting in Misaki's arms getting her belly rubbed.

Ryoko stared after them in consternation. She would never understand Juraians, especially not the royal family. Looking around, she realized she was alone and floated up to the rafter to await Tenchi's return.

--

Tenchi stopped outside the house and looked at it carefully once more. He knew he wouldn't forget it and that he'd be coming back eventually, but he couldn't avoid feeling like he needed to imprint it in his memory before leaving.

"It's hard to believe I won't be here tomorrow. I suppose this is sort of my replacement for going away to college, if you think about it. I've sometimes wondered what it would have been like to go to college in Tokyo." Tenchi turned to his grandfather with wistfulness in his eyes. "I think sometimes that I would have liked it, I've never been away from home. I don't know that for sure, though, life here doesn't seem so bad. Simpler certainly."

"You have an odd definition of simple, Tenchi." Yosho put his arm around Tenchi's shoulder. "Come on, the ladies will be waiting. You don't want to make them mad right before you leave."

"No, I don't think that would be a good idea."

Tenchi let his grandfather push him inside the house where all the ladies were indeed waiting for him. They'd obviously gotten themselves cleaned up as everyone was now wearing different clothes and he couldn't stop himself from staring at the sight.

Ryoko had on one of her usual dresses, but open at the throat to show off some cleavage. Mihoshi and Kiyone were in their GP uniforms with the tight pants, and they hadn't put their jackets on over the short-sleeved uniform shirts. Washu was back in her teenage form, but wearing a fairly short blue skirt with a white blouse. Ayeka was wearing his mother's yukata, and Sasami also had on a short skirt with a blouse, but not quite as tight as Washu's. Topping it all off was an adult-form Ryo-Ohki dressed in a spaghetti-strapped minidress which was in danger of falling off as she fidgeted with it.

"Ahem." Yosho elbowed Tenchi in the ribs.

Tenchi winced and closed his mouth. "Wow... Er, I mean, you ladies all look nice."

"Nice, he says," said Washu with a roll of her eyes. "Why do we even bother."

"What?" Tenchi winced again, receiving another elbow in the ribs. "Oh, what I meant was you ladies all look beautiful tonight."

"Much better." Washu smiled at him, as did all the others.

"Ah, I guess... I suppose it's time for me to leave. I'll miss all of you." Tenchi could see the glistening eyes looking back at him, and knew what was likely about to start happening if he didn't act.

He stepped forward to Mihoshi who was farthest to his right. "Mihoshi..."

"Tenchi..."

"Oh for goodness' sake, just kiss her, would you," said Washu.

"WHAT?" cried everyone else together.

"Look, Tenchi owes me a kiss, and it was supposed to be on my next day. That would have been tomorrow, but due to circumstances beyond my control, that's no longer the case. I'm not waiting six months for that kiss, and since I'm sure that if I get a kiss everyone else will want a kiss too, he should kiss her. Of course if anybody wants to complain, it's fine with me if I'm the only one who gets a kiss, but I'll be damned if he's getting out of here before I get it."

"I... that is..." Tenchi looked nervously at all the ladies who were suddenly looking back at him with something resembling lust in their eyes.

"Washu's right. Kiss her, let's not waste any time here." Ryoko teleported behind Mihoshi to give her a little shove so that she ended up in Tenchi's arms.

Tenchi looked her in her huge blue eyes, and realized he was sunk. He didn't really want to kiss her in front of everyone else, but the expectant look on her face was too much. He knew Washu was going to stick to her words, so he leaned in to kiss her on the lips...

(BONK)

"Owwww!" Tenchi and Mihoshi both rubbed their noses, not hearing the snickers coming from the crowd of onlookers.

"To the left," Tenchi whispered to himself quietly, remembering his previous experience with Mihoshi only too late. He caught her hand in his and pulled her back close to try again, tilting to the left. This time it was successful, and he stood back, watching as she did the same with dreamy eyes.

He smiled and stepped to his left to face Kiyone. "Kiyone..."

She chuckled, and said, "Tenchi... to the right."

He chuckled with her, and leaned in to successfully kiss her.

He continued down the line, Ryoko, then Ayeka, a hug for Sasami, squirming under Misaki's stern gaze. Then he came to Ryo-Ohki.

"Ah... Ryo-Ohki?"

"Miya!"

He looked puzzled and turned to Ryoko for help.

"She said 'Me too'," Ryoko answered with a frown.

"WHAT?" cried everyone once again.

"Um... heh... I don't think...," he started.

Ryoko and Ryo-Ohki were looking at each other, and after a few seconds everyone realized they were speaking to each other through their link. Eventually, Ryoko turned back to fill everyone in. "I don't think she really realizes what's going on, but everyone else was getting a kiss and seemed to like it, so she wanted one too. I convinced her that a hug would be okay, since she's not dating you, Tenchi."

"Thanks, Ryoko," Tenchi gulped. He stepped forward to carefully wrap the now very tall, very feminine Ryo-Ohki into an embrace, trying not to think about what she was wearing.

He stood back and looked at Washu in time to catch her looking at first Ryo-Ohki, then Ryoko, with a raised eyebrow. When he sidestepped himself in front of her, she turned back to him, and a grin spread on her face.

"Time for the final exam, Tenchi. Better make it good, or you'll be here all night."

Tenchi thought quickly, and decided what to do. He pulled her into his arms, then as she started to tilt her face to his, he flipped her down so that he was cradling her back and looking down at her like you saw in the movies. He smiled when her eyes widened, and he once again planted a kiss on her lips from above. He felt her weight in his arms, and braced himself to hold her as he felt her arms relax. He held the kiss for a long time, then gradually came to the realization that everyone else was watching. He almost dropped her as he broke the kiss suddenly, but managed to get her back to her feet successfully.

"Hmmm... a little abrupt on the ending, but good form and good technique. I'll pass you this time." Washu smiled at him, then fanned her red cheeks.

He returned the smile, then stepped back, looking up at the queens who'd been watching from the stairs. "I guess we should go, then?"

"Yes, I suppose we should. Gather your things, we'll meet you outside." Funaho and Misaki stepped down from the steps and walked to the door.

Tenchi gathered the few bags and a box in which he'd stuffed his possessions to bring along, and then turned back to face everyone again. This time the tears were already flowing from Mihoshi's and Sasami's eyes, and they appeared ready in everyone else's.

"Goodbye, everyone. I'll see you again in six months, I guess. We'll keep in touch, of course, I'll write letters if nothing else. I hope you'll all do the same."

They all nodded and sniffled, but nobody managed to say anything. He smiled sadly and turned to go.

"Goodbye, Tenchi," everyone cried together, then swarmed around him to wrap him in a tearful group hug. He tolerated it stoically, not wanting to start crying himself. Gradually the hug broke up, and he quietly turned to walk outside.

"Remember, Tenchi," said Yosho from behind. "Stand up for yourself when you get to Jurai."

Tenchi looked back and nodded, then walked the rest of the distance to stand beside the queens. He turned back around to face everyone, and smiled again sadly as they all waved at him.

"Goodbye, Ayeka, Sasami! Goodbye everyone! We'll visit again." Misaki waved energetically.

Funaho waved as well, then the three disappeared, leaving the suddenly silent household behind. Nobody could think of anything to say, and they gradually trickled back to their own rooms to mull their new life without Tenchi.

--

Grace Sakumi looked at all the flashing lights in dismay, not certain what it meant. She had no skills as a pilot, nor any idea how to do much more than enter the course and put the shuttle she'd commandeered on autopilot.

She had been on her way to report everything she knew about the situation with Kiyone and the Rudolpho hit man, but had come up short at the sound of voices from inside Section Chief Sakai's office. She halted her hand inches from the door and listened to Deputy Commander Watanabe yelling at the Section chief.

She'd quickly realized they knew all about it, and planned to do nothing about the situation to help Kiyone. Watanabe's anger with his subordinate for hiding the information from him did not translate into actual help for Kiyone.

Grace had quickly turned around and headed for a womens' restroom, needing a place where she could think without anyone bothering her. She'd chosen a stall, and sat to ponder her situation and what she could do. Kiyone needed to be warned, and it was apparent that nobody who could was planning to.

She'd done some soul-searching, and finally come to the conclusion that she would go try and warn Kiyone herself. There were two immediate problems, first being to find transportation, second to actually find Kiyone to warn her. She'd given Manetti a head start already, she couldn't afford to take any kind of public transport. She'd quickly realized her best chance lay in grabbing one of the GP transport shuttles which various personnel used for business trips to one planet or another.

All that had led her to her current difficulties. She looked around in horror as the lights went out and emergency lights came on. She punched keys hoping to find a status, and her blood ran cold as she finally found what she was looking for. She was on emergency power at the moment, but that would run out within the next few hours. As soon as that went down, so would the life support systems. In less than a day, she was likely to be dead, but she was more than a day's travel from the planet she'd been trying to reach.

Punching her way through menus in hopes of finding something to help her out, she finally found what she was looking for. She tripped the switch indicated to turn on the distress beacon, then wandered back to the living quarters to lie down on the bed and weep. She was going to die unless some miracle happened out here in one of the most remote sections of the galaxy.

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	18. Chapter 17: Encounter

Chapter 17: Encounter 

Tenchi wandered through the strange "interior" of Funaho's ship Mizuho, or maybe Misaki's Karin not knowing for sure how the twin trees' interiors might be linked, taking in the unusual sights and sounds. He knew consciously that it wasn't actually the interior of the ship, but he was still astounded by the concept of subspace as it related to being on a spaceship flying through space. It wasn't hard to picture a big closet where Washu stored stuff hiding in some distant place which she managed to create a link to, but having this whole little world to wander around in while trying to imagine it being somehow separate but attached to a ship flying through space, that he just had a hard time with. It was certainly pretty, though.

He wasn't surprised by the amount of foliage and water he encountered, he'd been on Ayeka's own ship Ryu-Oh a few times. What was really throwing him for a loop was how big it was. He was standing next to a fountain, with water streaming from the mouth of what was apparently a statue of a person whose arms and hands were changing into tree branches and leaves. He was surrounded by trees and bushes of all shapes and sizes, and a stream ran away from the fountain and dropped over the side of the platform he was on. Glancing down, he could see the pool of water below where the water fell, and a few other platforms scattered about as well, along with the half dozen or so which he'd already walked past.

He'd asked his great-grandmother about it a bit when they had eaten breakfast, and he had a mental picture of her ship being something along the lines of a jumbo jet in size. He knew that was actually a bit small, but the interior looked to be something along the lines of the whole Okinawa prefecture, maybe more. The two queens had just chuckled and done their best to explain it, but it hadn't really helped.

His stomach growled, and he realized it was probably time to go and find the queens in hopes of getting some lunch. He looked around, and finally spotted the portal which would take him back. He was still a little nervous using these, but he'd had no mishaps so far. He still closed his eyes before being teleported to wherever it was that it was set to take him. When the noise from the device calmed he opened his eyes again, and saw the two queens sitting at a table talking, numerous papers in piles and also spread about in front of them.

"Hello, Tenchi. Did you enjoy your walk?" Funaho barely glanced up from the report she was reading.

"Um... yes, it was nice. A little disconcerting, but nice."

"Don't worry, Tenchi, you'll get used to it eventually. Living on Jurai for a while will make this seem insignificant in comparison." Misaki set down the report she had been looking at, and signaled for a servant. "I believe it is lunch time. Could you bring in food for the three of us? Thank you."

The servant woman hustled off, and Misaki stacked up some of the papers which had been spread out before her. "So... Tenchi. How are you feeling? Nervous? Excited? Sad?" She clipped the papers together and placed them on top of one of the stacks, picking up the whole stack to move it from the table. Funaho was finally starting to do the same, though she had one paper which she refused to put away.

"Hmmm...," said Tenchi. "All of those, I suppose. Maybe a little wonder and fear mixed in. Top it off with a bit of anger and resentment, and just a dash of... resolve, I guess. My mind is still running circles, you might say." Tenchi laughed, mostly to himself.

"That's understandable. Our husband has done a good job turning your world upside down again." Funaho placed all of her papers except the one in a drawer with Misaki's, and turned to the table to sit down facing him. "It might seem like a lot at the moment, but if you believe in yourself, you'll be fine, Tenchi."

"He'll probably do more than fine, sister. When word gets out that he defeated Rugoya and Waruhan simultaneously, every faction on Jurai is going to want him to join their cause. And the ladies will be definitely be interested..." Misaki turned a mischievous grin on him. "He's used to that by now, of course."

Tenchi rolled his eyes and answered, "Gee, that's so comforting."

"You're right, of course. Did you see the maid this morning, Misaki? She's not used to having young men like Tenchi walking around without their shirts in front of her." Funaho laughed at his miserable expression, and traded a knowing look with Misaki. "It wouldn't surprise me if Tenchi ends up having the cleanest room on the ship, now."

Misaki burst out laughing when Tenchi buried his head in his arms. Funaho reached out to take one of his hands and pat it comfortingly. "We're just teasing, of course," said Funaho. She traded another look with Misaki indicating she wasn't, but Tenchi didn't look up in time to catch it.

"It's so comforting to know I'll have the two of you looking out for me when we get there," said Tenchi sarcastically.

Funaho and Misaki laughed at his discomfort some more, knowing he'd endured much worse at the hands of his house guests on earth. He found he couldn't help himself, and laughed along with them.

"On a more serious note, though..." Funaho paused as the servant entered the room with a tray stacked full of dishes, cups, pitchers, and a variety of foods.

They all waited as the woman worked, arranging things before each of them. When she finished, Tenchi said, "Thank you," then froze as he caught the blush in her smile when she returned a curtsy before turning and moving briskly from the room. He just groaned, shaking his head when the queens looked at him with knowing smiles on their faces that told him they'd seen it too.

"Lock your door tonight, Tenchi," Misaki laughed. "Or then again, maybe you wouldn't mind..."

Tenchi slumped onto his arms again, rocking his head while the two laughed some more.

"Back to what I was going to say...," Funaho paused to take a bite of something that looked somewhat squid-like to Tenchi. "Hmmm, you should really sit up and start eating, Tenchi, the Oosanqui is delicious. As I was saying, on a more serious note, you will want to be cautious at first, Tenchi. There will unquestionably be many people and groups approaching you to support their cause. You probably won't be in a position to understand their actual motives for quite some time, so I would recommend you be as noncommittal to everyone as you possibly can for now. Be polite, but turn all of them down, even if their offer seems to be genuinely appealing. Choices now can leave you with long-term consequences. So can refusals, but as long as you do it uniformly for now, you'll be better off down the road."

"That doesn't sound too hard. Turn everyone down... I can do that." Tenchi began eating, and realized the somewhat unfamiliar foods were all quite good.

"You've got plenty of practice with that one, haven't you?" Misaki chuckled as he blushed.

"Actually, that probably goes doubly for the ladies you'll meet, Tenchi." Funaho looked at him squarely, catching his gaze so he'd understand how serious she was. "While we both know you're not likely to be swayed from those ladies living back on earth, there are those here on Jurai who are not above trying to get you into a compromising situation. Scruples sometimes go out the door in politics between the nobility."

"Um... turn down the ladies, too. Okay." Tenchi nodded his head.

"Except us, of course..." Misaki rolled her finger up Tenchi's arm, causing him to tumble backwards from his chair.

"Please, Misaki..." Funaho shook her head at the other queen.

"Sorry. I think the prospect of the next couple hundred years has me feeling a little frisky..." Misaki blushed as she tipped Tenchi's chair back into place so he could sit down again after scrambling to his feet.

"Geez, you're as bad as Ryoko, or Washu even." Tenchi tried to settle himself back down so he could continue eating. His heart still felt like it was beating irregularly.

"Why thank you, Tenchi." Misaki smiled at him, which only made him puzzled.

"Let's see... what else should we try and warn you about?" Funaho sat back, musing. "Well, I suppose we should tell you about Azusa... Yes?" She looked up as another person Tenchi didn't recognize stepped in to whisper in her ear. "I see. Well, we have no choice, really. Make sure there's plenty of security, just in case, but we must pick them up."

The man bowed, then moved back out of the room at a trot. Misaki and Tenchi both looked questions at Funaho.

"Apparently there's a small GP shuttle craft out there with a distress beacon turned on. Scans show a single person on board, and initial indications are some kind of catastrophic failure in the engines."

Misaki nodded, and got to her feet. "I'll go talk to the squad, prep them for what we should do. Not that they need me to tell them, but I can't help myself." Misaki laughed as she stepped out of the room.

Tenchi waited, hoping to get more information. Seeing the questions still lingering in his eyes, Funaho continued.

"While this could very well be exactly what it appears to be, but there's always the possibility of this being an ambush or the like. You have to be careful when you are who we are, Tenchi."

"I see. That certainly makes sense. Is it all right if I come along to watch?"

"Certainly. You're the last person they'd be likely to go after, considering the clothes, and you're probably the most capable of protecting yourself, with the possible exception of Misaki. I don't think you'll be in any danger. It's likely to be nothing, any way."

"If you're worried about this, can't you just leave them behind, send someone else to come get them or the like?"

"In this case, no. Readings indicate that life support may have already failed, they might not have time for another ship to get here."

"Oh. Okay. Should we go?" Tenchi had risen to his feet, and offered his arm to Funaho who smiled as she took it.

"My, my. I see why the ladies all like walking on your arm."

Tenchi stumbled, then caught himself, looking at his great-grandmother in shock. "Wh-what?"

"Nothing, Tenchi. Just enjoying the feeling of walking on a handsome young man's arm, that's all."

Tenchi blinked, then turned to watch where he was walking with his face red, not wanting to see the smile he knew would be on her face. They walked down a corridor and eventually arrived at large metal door.

"I should probably go in by myself." Funaho let go of Tenchi's arm. "You can follow behind me in just a bit. That way they might not realize you're anyone important if it is an assassin. They'll unquestionably recognize me, however."

Tenchi stepped forward to the door and reached to open it. "I'll go in first then, if you don't mind. I wouldn't feel right letting you go in unprotected."

Funaho laughed as he stepped through. She waited a little bit so he could look around, then followed him in. The sight inside was not unexpected, and she quickly located Misaki and walked to her side.

The security detail was positioned in a semicircle around the open hatch from the small shuttle which was now located inside the hangar. They all were in alert positions ready to act, and the tension was fairly high. Funaho leaned over to whisper to Misaki, "Anything yet?"

"No. Funiki went in with a couple of marines. We should know soon." Misaki looked over at Tenchi standing by himself a short distance away with his hand holding the hilt of what was unquestionably the sword Tenchi-ken. "You've got a handsome new bodyguard, I see."

Funaho chuckled quietly, "He's just like Yosho. It certainly brings back memories. I feel sorry for any assassin that might come out of that ship, even assuming they survive the security squad."

A stir among the soldiers arrayed before the ship quieted the queens, and they watched as two soldiers emerged with a body on a stretcher, followed by the ship's medic, Masuhiro Funiki. A shake of his head caused the soldiers to relax, and the sergeant snapped orders to get them up and out of the way. When everyone had cleared out and the stretcher was on its way to the medical ward, Funiki approached the two queens. Misaki signaled Tenchi to bring him over, causing him a bit of surprise.

"Nothing appeared to be suspicions, your highnesses," said Funiki. "I'm sure your security detail will be checking the ship over thoroughly. There was only the one passenger, a lady. She didn't appear to be an officer of any kind however, though it's possible she only brought civilian clothes for some reason. If you'll excuse me, I should really go check on her condition some more, the life support systems failed shortly before we arrived. When we found her she was medically dead. Luckily, we managed to revive her. There's no telling whether she'll actually wake up or not, however."

The two queens nodded and dismissed him. He bowed, and turned to walk briskly in the same direction the stretcher had gone. Tenchi watched everything in puzzlement. He could understand it all, but it was a new experience for him.

"Well, that was uneventful. Pity..." Misaki headed back for the room she and Funaho used for conducting business while on board.

Tenchi followed with nothing better to do at the moment. "Does this sort of thing happen often in space?"

"No, almost never. Think about how big space is. Then really think about it." Misaki gave Tenchi a meaningful look, waiting til he nodded. "Your chances of getting found out in open space, even with a distress beacon, aren't really all that good when you consider how much space is out there. A signal we detect right now could have been traveling through space for days, weeks, or months even before we received it."

Tenchi just nodded, considering what he knew of basic physics, the speed of sound and light and the like.

"That's part of why we were so cautious. In our case, because of who we are, we have no choice. But even most commercial vessels of no real intrinsic value and without cargo of any particular value use a bit of caution when picking up stranded vessels and their passengers. While everyone is allowing for the possibility, it's still one of the easiest ways to spring an ambush for your more nefarious purposes."

Tenchi sighed as he absorbed Misaki's explanation. He hadn't even made it to Jurai, and already he was discovering how much of an education he needed. He'd privately scoffed at the idea of spending half of every year on Jurai being necessary, but suddenly that didn't seem so unrealistic.

Funaho smiled sadly and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's a big galaxy, isn't it?"

"Yeah. It's finally hitting me. It's hard to scale up your notion of the galaxy just being another half dozen planets on the other side of the moon. This is definitely gonna take some getting used to."

"It's all right Tenchi. We really are here for you, as much as we can be. While we disagree with his methods, we do believe what our husband is forcing on you is important in the long run. We'll do what we can to curtail him in turning this into a punishment for you."

Misaki nodded, and placed one of her hands on his other shoulder, making him realize how much it was unlike Ryoko and Ayeka walking along with him sometimes. The thought made him chuckle.

"Is something funny, all of a sudden," asked Misaki.

"Well, only that I'm not used to having two pretty ladies walking on either side of me without fighting."

"Oh, you're just so sweet, aren't you?" Misaki moved her hand down to take hold of his arm and laid her head on his shoulder as they walked. She chuckled as she felt the stutter in his stride.

--

The sounds of breakfast being eaten were almost resounding through the room. Unlike the usual morning conversations, nobody living in the Masaki household had anything to say right then. At any given time one of the ladies was looking at the empty seat at the table with sadness in their eyes.

Ryoko's eyes were particularly unfocused and bloodshot. She'd spent pretty much the entire night drinking sake, consuming what would undoubtedly have killed someone without her unique physical makeup and regenerative powers. She hadn't stopped until she passed out hours after Tenchi had left, and waking up this morning she hadn't felt like wiping the horrible feeling out of her body. The rotten feeling in her stomach and mouth seemed appropriate to her mood. The tasteless-to-her-palate food had long since lost its interest for her, and she mostly just stared morosely at the table.

The ringing of the phone brought most of them out of their stupor for a moment, and feeling no desire to remain at the table, Ryoko floated up and over to the phone to answer it. "Hello, Masaki residence," she said tiredly.

"Ryoko? Is Tenchi gone already?"

Ryoko blinked, trying to place the hysterical voice coming through the phone at her. "Yeah, so what?" The question left her in no mood to remain polite.

"Ryoko, it's Rea! Nobuyuki's been kidnapped!"

"WHAT?" Ryoko suddenly phased all of the waste products from the bout of drinking out of her system. Her head suddenly cleared, she asked, "What do you mean kidnapped?"

"I don't really know, exactly. All I know is Nobuyuki's not here, and I have a note left by someone saying that he has Nobo, and that if we want him back, Tenchi needs to come and face him in a duel. And he should bring Kiyone along to ensure Nobo's safety."

Ryoko stared at the phone, unsure what to say. She turned to look back at the table, and realized everyone had heard her side of the conversation only. "Someone kidnapped Nobuyuki, and they want Tenchi to bring Kiyone along to a duel, or Nobuyuki will be killed."

"WHAT?" Kiyone jumped to her feet, and rushed over to grab the phone from Ryoko. "Hello? Stay there, we'll be there to talk to you as soon as possible. Try not to touch anything." Kiyone slammed the phone down and ran for the stairs. "Let's go Mihoshi, I'll go get our guns." She reached the top, then screeched to a halt, turning to look back down sheepishly. "Um, who was that?"

"I think you've spent too many years as Mihoshi's partner. Well, should we go? I assume everyone will be going along to Rea's?" Washu looked around to see the confirming faces of everyone, and she materialized a terminal and quickly tapped away until she got the results she wanted. "There. Let's see, the house would be 21.36824 miles from here, and 1.653 degrees latitude to the north. Do you have those guns yet?"

Kiyone jumped where she was standing, and turned to race into her room long enough to grab hers and Mihoshi's guns. She then raced back out and down the stairs three at a time.

Washu activated a transport portal as soon as Kiyone arrived, and Sasami squeaked as everything blurred and faded. In only seconds they arrived in the back yard of the house Nobuyuki shared with his wife Rea. Washu looked around, relieved to see that nobody was around to whom she'd be forced to do some memory alterations. She turned back to the house and realized everyone had left her behind and was already inside. With a roll of her eyes, she headed inside as well.

--

Tenchi wandered down another corridor, having nothing better to do. He'd quickly discovered that space travel, at least in this form, didn't live up to his expectation. It would have helped if he felt he could contribute anything to the work being done anywhere on the ship, but since he knew pretty much nothing about anything that needed to be done, he found he had nothing to do. While the queens were perfectly willing to entertain him, he didn't want to intrude on them every minute of their day.

He had a notion in mind to visit the person who'd been rescued from the crippled shuttle. He didn't expect much to come of it, but he wanted to get a look just out of curiosity whether they looked human, just like every other alien he'd met so far. Ryo-Ohki looked human enough when she wanted to, any way, and she might not be classified as an alien, regardless.

He finally arrived at the medical wing, and the sight of a guard on duty outside one of the doors told him where he likely needed to go. "Hello. Is this where the passenger from the shuttle was taken?"

"Yes, highness, this is the room. Dr. Funiki is in there with her right now."

Tenchi started at the address by the guard, then sighed as he realized he would probably have to get used to it. "Is it all right if I go in?"

"I believe so, Dr. Funiki left no orders to keep guests out. Let me check before you enter, please." The guard pulled his gun into a ready position before opening the door. He glanced around, then relaxed and waved Tenchi in.

"Thank you." Tenchi walked in and nodded a greeting to the medic who appeared to be checking the woman's vital signs at the moment. Funiki nodded in return and then punched some info into a datapad he was holding.

"How is she, doctor?"

"About as well as you might expect. She's in a coma at the moment, which isn't surprising considering her heart stopped beating for a bit. She's stable and otherwise healthy, though."

"I see. I assume it's pointless for me to ask if there's anything I can do to help?"

"Well, medically speaking, not really. In these situations it's generally held true that having someone in the room talking to them seems to help out. So if you're willing, you could sit in here and just chat. It'll probably feel silly, but it's for a good cause."

"Well, I guess if you think it might help, I don't have much else to do any way."

"Great! I've got some other things to do for a while. If her status changes at all, the monitor there," Funiki pointed at a screen with various graphs and charts which was hooked to numerous wires from the woman's body, "should alert me immediately, so you don't need to panic. If she should wake up, do your best to keep her calm. She'll probably get pretty worked up at first, so we don't want her to do anything to hurt herself."

"Um... okay, I guess. You're the doctor."

"Thank you, your highness."

Tenchi sighed again as the doctor walked out of the room. There it was, 'highness' again. Shaking his head, Tenchi sat down beside the woman where Dr. Funiki had just been and took his first really close look at her.

Her face was stunningly pretty, framed by long aquamarine hair. From the contours of the sheet she was lying under, he could see that she would be quite tall, and probably have a very attractive figure. He was starting to wonder if all alien women were beautiful.

"Well, what to say? I suppose I should just talk out loud for a while, huh? I might as well introduce myself then. Hello, I'm Tenchi Masaki. It's a pleasure to meet you, Miss."

Tenchi felt his face heating a bit, but the lack of reaction from the woman helped him get through his nervousness. "Um... well, let's see... I suppose I could tell you more about me. I come from the planet Earth, in the Solar System. It's pretty close to where we picked you up at."

He watched the monitor a bit, everything seemed to be pretty steady, the numbers in the charts didn't fluctuate much, and the graphs barely changed either. "Earth's a pretty uncivilized place compared to the rest of the galaxy, I guess. It's taking some getting used to, being away from the Earth and traveling through space. We sent some ships up into space of course, but we earthlings kind of thought we were alone in the universe."

Tenchi settled himself more comfortably into the chair, realizing he would probably be at this for a while. "Let's see, what else? Well, I've known for a while that there are people out here, living everywhere else in the galaxy. You see, I've got a few of you living in my house right now."

Tenchi reddened a bit at what he was thinking but turned his head towards the comatose woman. He whispered, "Don't tell anyone I said so, but you might be as pretty as all of them." He sat back up again and glanced around the room. It looked an awful lot like a hospital room should, nearly empty. "It's kind of nice having all those beautiful women living with me, I have to admit."

He closed his eyes and tried to picture all of the women. "I met Ryoko first. Would you believe she tried to kill me? It still seems weird after all this time, considering how she acts towards me now. She's really beautiful, with her kinda Cyan-colored hair. Sexy, too, though I try not to let her know I think that, she's a handful already. I know, a boy my age ought to want to be fondled by a beautiful woman, but it doesn't seem right to me until I figure out if I want to spend my life with her or not."

"I met Ayeka and Sasami next. Let me think... I guess it was Sasami. I was trapped in a cell of some kind on Ayeka's ship, and Sasami let me out. She was just a really cute little girl at the time; boy has she changed. She's gorgeous now... well you can tell that she will be, any way. She's thirteen years old, but somehow or other her body is sixteen. She's definitely starting to look like Tsu..." Tenchi opened his eyes to make sure nobody was around and the woman was still in her coma. "She's looking more like Tsunami than ever. Wow, what a cook, for someone her age. Don't make her mad, though."

He closed his eyes once again. "Ayeka is also very pretty. In a lot of ways, I wish she was here the most. Not because I like her better, but I could really stand to talk to someone who knows all about Jurai. That's where we're headed, by the way. Any way, she's definitely the most ladylike of the whole bunch. She's the only one who could pass for a traditional Japanese girl. That's kinda weird, too, I think she might someday end up being Queen, the ruler of all Jurai, and yet she's been living with me on Earth in my crowded house, doing chores and stuff."

"Next was Mihoshi. No, wait... It was Ryo-Ohki. What can I say about her. She's so adorable it's almost frightening. She's a cabbit, I guess a mixture of a cat and a rabbit, if you know what those are. But she changes into a little girl, and sometimes even into an adult woman, too. She's really cute, no matter which shape she's in. She only had the cabbit shape at first, she didn't get the human shapes until later. Oh, yeah, she's a spaceship, too. I guess I didn't mention that. Yeah, you're right, it's that Ryoko and that Ryo-Ohki. They're really not like that, though."

"Let's see... Mihoshi. How do you describe Mihoshi? Well she's tall, blonde, and gorgeous, with big blue eyes. You notice that immediately. She's much more than that, though. She's so sweet and innocent, it's hard to believe she's an adult sometimes. It's a shame she's so clumsy, and she gets a little too excitable. She takes her work as a Galaxy Police officer very seriously, and boy does she have a great memory. We quit playing memory games with her a long time ago, Washu was the only one who had a chance."

"Well, I guess Washu is next, now that I've mentioned her. You want complications in your life, let a twenty-thousand-year-old genius scientist who looks like she's twelve move into your house and set up a lab." Tenchi laughed, thinking about his trips into Washu's domain. "She referred to me as her 'guinea pig.' A guinea pig is a small furry animal from Earth, but it's kind of a term used to describe the target of somebody's experiments. So, yeah, she spent a lot of time running tests on me. She can also switch into an adult body. A very adult body. Oh, and I guess a teenager's body too, she must be able to choose whatever age she wants to look like. I often think she's a little crazy, but she's got a tender side that's just incredible if you can catch her at the right time."

"I guess there's Kiyone now, too. She hasn't been with us for long, just a few months, but she's already part of the family. She's Mihoshi's partner. I'm not sure she likes being Mihoshi's partner, she kind of waffles on that a lot. They seem to be friends, but she loses her cool when Mihoshi manages to mess something up. She's maybe the most normal of the girls. She feels the most like she comes from a world like mine. That's not necessarily good or bad, just different from all the others. We broke up a robbery together one time, she was pretty impressive."

"Yeah, Kiyone's great, isn't she?"

Tenchi's eyes flew open as he jumped out of his seat. The woman on the bed was looking back at him through barely-open eyes. "Wow! Uh, hello. I'm Tenchi, I'm sure the doctor should be here shortly. Just relax." Tenchi spun to look at the door, expecting it to open at any second.

"Tenchi? Where am I?"

"Oh, well, you're in the medical ward on our ship. Your shuttle broke down, and we picked you up. Your life support systems failed sometime before we got there, but the doctor was able to revive you." Tenchi's heart skipped a beat as her eyes closed again.

"Oh... okay. Thank you."

The woman's voice was tired and weak, and he instinctively reached out to take her hand between his. "You're welcome." Tenchi glanced up as Dr. Funiki returned and moved to leave but the doctor shook his head and indicated Tenchi should remain where he was.

"Hello, Miss. I'm Dr. Funiki. How are you feeling?"

"Tired."

"Ah, well that's not unusual. Your body underwent a tremendous trauma. I'll just check a few things, and then I'll let you get some more sleep."

Tenchi watched the doctor work for a bit before realizing he was still holding the woman's hand. He started to let go, but she grabbed onto his hand with hers, so he decided to just accept it for the time.

"There, everything still looks good. Some more sleep and you should start feeling better, Miss. Could I inquire as to your name? We can hopefully get things started as far as informing your family and the like, arranging transport back home and such."

"I don't know."

Dr. Funiki frowned. "You don't remember your name?"

"No. I can remember some things, like when Tenchi was talking about Kiyone, I remembered her from when I was younger. But I can't remember my name."

"I see. Well, we can start doing some investigation from the shuttle you were on, and maybe we can figure things out for you. I suspect your memory will come back eventually, regardless, if you remember some things. Don't worry, things will be fine. I'll be going, now."

"Okay."

Dr. Funiki rose and walked out. Tenchi said, "Well, I should probably leave, too, so you can rest." He started to move, but she again grabbed onto his hand.

"Please stay. I'm a little frightened right now."

"Ah... well, I guess."

Tenchi sat down again, still conscious of the woman's hand in his, thankful nobody was there to see the scene. If Ryoko or Ayeka would happen to pop in right then things would get ugly, fast.

"Can you talk to me some more. It was very comforting to hear a friendly voice."

Tenchi smiled back at the woman, seeing her smile slightly in return. "Well, I guess. Where was I? Oh yeah, Kiyone. You know her, apparently? Are you sure it's the same one?" The woman shook her head slightly. "Well, I suppose it could be, though that would be a pretty amazing coincidence. Any way, that's the big happy family I live with now. It's pretty weird when I stop to think about it, but it seems normal now."

"I guess I should mention that this ship is Queen Funaho's of Jurai. At least I think it is. It kind of merges together with Queen Misaki's so it's hard to tell one from the other. Queen Funaho is my great-grandmother, so I guess that makes me a prince of Jurai. I'm just a poor Earth kid, though, really, even if I am related to them. My dad is an architect, and grandpa's a shrine priest. Well, I guess grandpa is really Prince Yosho, when you get down to it. He doesn't act like it, though."

Tenchi felt the woman's hand relax, and looked over to see her eyes closed and her breathing steady. She seemed to be asleep again, and when he finally managed to get his hand away she made no move to grab onto him again. He smiled, and carefully tucked her hand under the covers before moving away. "I'll be back later," he said quietly before leaving.

--

The Masaki home residents arrived back at their own house after getting all the details from Rea. They'd investigated the area as best they could, but nothing had turned up, outside of the message that had been left. They'd brought that back home with them, and sent Rea off to stay with her mother.

"So, what do we do?" Ryoko looked around at the other ladies. "There's nothing there except the note, and it tells Tenchi to meet at some empty spot in the middle of nowhere, no planets anywhere nearby. Are you sure you don't know anything, Kiyone? Why would he be asking for Tenchi to bring you along?"

Kiyone started, shaken from her thoughts. "Huh? Um, no, I don't know. I mean, it's probably some old case of mine, somebody I arrested who finally got out of jail, what else would it be? There's way too many possibilities, though, I've arrested an awful lot of people."

"Well that's no help. Any of them swordfighters? This guy wants a duel with Tenchi, whoever he is."

"Sorry, I can't think of any that were swordfighters. I wish I could tell you something."

"Grrrrr. I'm really mad, now. If I ever get my hands on this guy...." Ryoko squeezed the railing of the stairs til the wood starting popping in her grip.

"That's enough, Ryoko." Washu looked at her daughter til Ryoko settled down. "Well, the question is still out there. What do we do now?"

"We must of course inform Lord Tenchi, and mother and Aunt Funaho, too," said Ayeka. "Maybe they can think of something."

"That's true, we really should contact them. I'm not sure telling Tenchi is a good idea, but the queens should know. Can you take care of that Ayeka?"

"Of course Miss Washu. I'll go to Ryu-Oh immediately." Ayeka turned and left the house.

"Little Washu," she called after Ayeka. "Well then. I guess we wait until we hear back from the queens? I'll be in my lab, let me know when Ayeka gets back." Washu turned away and disappeared through the closet door.

"Um, yeah. I'm gonna go outside for a while, I need to try and think." Kiyone disappeared from the house, leaving the rest looking around silently.

"Bah, I'm outta here." Ryoko disappeared as well.

"Hmmmm. It seems like it's just the three of us. Mihoshi, Ryo-Ohki, will you help me make lunch?" Sasami looked at the last two women remaining.

"Miya," cried Ryo-Ohki, heading for the kitchen door.

"Um... I guess so," said Mihoshi, looking at the door Kiyone had gone out.

Sasami herded Mihoshi into the kitchen, not giving the blonde woman a chance to change her mind.

--

Kiyone walked quickly down the dock to the spot where she could transfer onto Yukinojo. She was relieved Mihoshi hadn't followed her out, she didn't want to get Mihoshi involved in what she was planning to do.

She was pretty sure she knew who the culprit was, and this was something she meant to deal with herself. There was little doubt that the Rudolpho family was behind it, and Kiyone blamed herself for getting Tenchi's family involved somehow. If she had just found a place in town like she had originally wanted to, Marco probably wouldn't have known anything about Tenchi or Nobuyuki.

It had to be Marco, too. His record showed the history of killing people with knives and swords of all kinds. He was the top killer for the Rudolpho family, and she had just arrested Luigi, the son of Valentino Rudolpho who was the head of the syndicate. Nothing else made any sense.

She made her way to the bridge when she arrived on Yukinojo, and started warming things up to take off.

"Hello, officer Kiyone. Are we heading out for patrol again?"

"No Yukinojo, this isn't going to be a patrol. We're going after a criminal this time."

"Will officer Mihoshi be coming with us? She is my primary administrator, after all."

"No, Mihoshi won't be coming. She's busy right now. Are we ready to go?"

Yukinojo paused while he accessed his systems monitors. "Yes, officer Kiyone. We should be ready."

"All right, let's go then."

"Yes, ma'am."

Kiyone flopped into the pilot's seat as Yukinojo took the shuttle up into the atmosphere. "You bastard, Marco. We'll see who gets who."

--

Washu smiled to herself as she watched the footage of Kiyone sitting in Yukinojo, taking off. "Marco, hmmm? I knew she was hiding it from us. Guess we do some checking..."

Washu hummed to herself as she pulled up Galaxy Police records, absently swatting aside the attempt by someone within the GP to identify who was hacking into their system. "Marco... Marco. Hmmmmm, that looks promising."

Washu clicked a few keys, and downloaded the photo and description of Marco Manetti into a datapad, then closed down her terminals. She stood up and headed back for the main house. After stepping through the door, she heard the sounds of Sasami cooking in the kitchen with Mihoshi and Ryo-Ohki. Mihoshi was her current target, so Washu went in.

"Hello everyone. Wow, smells great Sasami. Mihoshi?"

"Yes, Little Washu?"

"Do you know anything about a Marco Manetti?"

"Let's see, let me think. I believe he's number 42 on the galaxy most-wanted list, which is the highest for anyone who isn't a pirate, actually. He works for the Rudolpho crime syndicate in the Romartan empire, and he usually kills people with a knife or a sword. He's around six and a half feet tall, and he's believed to weigh around 240 pounds, though nobody really knows for sure. He's got dark brown hair cut really short and brown eyes..."

"Thanks, Mihoshi. That's enough. Do you happen to know if Kiyone would have had anything to do with Marco recently?"

"She never said anything about him. She just got off that huge undercover case which she doesn't talk about, where she got an important drug dealer arrested. Marco isn't a drug dealer, though, he's an assassin."

"How about the Rudolpho family, then?"

"Well, they're Romartan, so they're probably into the usual things, racketeering, illegal gambling, drug-trafficking, weapons dealing...."

"Right. So, anything of note happen with the Rudolpho family lately?"

"Actually, yes. It was big news at headquarters, Luigi Rudolpho got arrested by someone in the GP. It was a huge undercover assignment, somebody played the part of a small drug trafficker and got Luigi when something happened to the distributor the Rudolphos were using at the time."

"Uh, huh. And this all happened when?"

"Oh, around three months ago, maybe a little more I guess."

Washu stared at Mihoshi, waiting to see if the blonde woman was ever going to make any of the connections. "Anything else?"

"Well, if you wanted to know about Marco so badly, you should have just gone with Kiyone when she left to go get him."

Washu's mouth dropped open, as did Sasami's and Ryo-Ohki's. "You knew what she was doing?"

"Well, of course, it was so obvious. I could tell Kiyone didn't want anybody else to know about it, though."

Washu tugged at her hair and screamed, "AAAAUUUUGGGGHHHH! Why do I even bother?"

"You're not really bothering any of us, Washu. We were just making lunch, you weren't in the way at all."

Washu banged her head on the door frame a couple times, then composed herself. "Well, do we know how to find this Marco Manetti, then?"

"Not really. If the GP knew where to find him, he wouldn't be on the most-wanted list any more, would he? You ask such silly questions some times."

Washu lowered her hands back down, realizing she'd raised them to go strangle Mihoshi without thinking about it. "Uh, yeah. Here's a question for you then. If nobody in the GP knows how to find Marco, how is Kiyone going to find him?"

"Well, obviously she's going to go to Romartan space, then send out a broadcast message to let Marco know she's there. He'll come find her, and she'll do whatever she needs to do to go rescue Nobuyuki."

"Right. Why didn't I think of that?" Washu rolled her eyes.

"Well, it's probably because you're not a Galaxy Police officer. You're a scientist, so you think of thing in terms of..."

"Shut up, Mihoshi! Okay, here's the plan. We're going to follow Kiyone in Ryo-Ohki, and get this scumbag when he takes her back to wherever it is that he hides."

"Oooo. That's a good plan, Little Washu. You know, you might be able to be a GP officer if you really wanted to. I bet you could make Section Chief some day, maybe even more. I'll be right back, I should go put on my uniform." Mihoshi walked out, leaving a stupefied threesome behind her.

Washu flopped her arms onto the counter, and started pounding her head against them. Sasami reached out to pat her left shoulder and Ryo-Ohki did the same to her right.

"It's okay, Washu."

--

Tenchi walked up to the guard outside of the door to Grace Sakumi's room and checked if it was all right to go in. Receiving confirmation, he slipped inside. She was sitting up eating something Tenchi refused to think of as anything else but pudding, and she smiled broadly as she acknowledged his entrance.

"Hello, Tenchi. Want some?" She offered the bowl of 'pudding' to him, but he shook his head and wrinkled his nose. "You sure? It's good. Really. Trust me."

"No, really, you can have it all, Grace."

She sighed, and pushed the bowl aside. "Yuck. Hospital food. So, did you bring me anything?"

Tenchi laughed, and opened his hands to show they were empty.

She put on a mock pout and crossed her arms. "Geez, don't you know you're supposed to bring presents when you visit someone in the hospital, Tenchi?"

"Sorry. Maybe next time. So, how do you feel?"

"Pretty good, actually. I mean, considering I was dead and all."

Tenchi's smile faded, and he looked away. "Yeah, I suppose so."

"Oh, don't get so serious. I'm alive, now, when I should be dead. That's twice now in my life. I'm happy to be alive, you should be too."

He turned back, and the grin on her face won him over and he smiled back at her. "I am. So, any new memories come back to you?"

"Nah, nothing yet. It's weird, I can remember all sorts of stuff up until a few months ago, then it all goes blank. Except for this one face I keep seeing."

"Well, at least you know your name, now."

She laughed. "Grace Sakumi. It sounds weird, cause it doesn't really feel like me when I hear it. I'm sure the reports of me stealing a shuttle and flying off on my own are probably true, though. Why would a secretary steal a shuttle and fly off into space?"

"I don't know. Trying to get away from something?"

"But what? Who'd be after a secretary?"

Tenchi chuckled some more. "Enough. I don't have the answers. Just let your memories come back, okay?"

"Spoilsport. You're supposed to humor me, I'm an invalid after all."

"Right..." The sarcasm dripped off his tongue. She whacked him on the shoulder, and he laughed some more. "Obviously you're barely able to move..."

She stuck her tongue out at him, then turned away with a sniff. "You can leave now, if you're just going to make fun of me."

"Okay..." Tenchi got to his feet, laughing, and turned towards the door.

"Wait! Oh..." Grace's eyes widened at the entrance of the two Juraian queens.

Tenchi froze in his tracks, then stepped back to give them room. They didn't move to sit down, but just watched him carefully, and he could see something in their eyes which let him know they had something important to say to him.

"We should probably go somewhere to talk, Tenchi," said Funaho.

"Um, okay." He turned to look at Grace. "I'll stop by later."

"Okay, Tenchi," she answered.

He walked out into the corridor, following the two queens. He looked around curiously when they took him through a transport to one of the many pools of water maintained in the subspace area of the ship. They sat down on a bench, and Tenchi chose another facing them across the path.

"We just got a message from Ayeka," started Misaki. "It's easiest to just come out and say it. Your father has been kidnapped."

"Wh-what?" Tenchi blinked several times in surprise, not really registering anything else at the moment except the incredible news. "Kidnapped? Why?" His face screwed up in puzzlement.

"It appears to be someone with a grudge against Kiyone, actually," said Funaho. "They left a message asking you to come and face him and bring Kiyone along. What's puzzling is that the message indicates he wants to have a duel with you. He asked for no ransom, not counting Kiyone that is."

"Duel? What the heck..."

"We actually received another message after that from Washu. She says that the culprit is an assassin named Marco Manetti. He works for a Romartan crime syndicate run by Valentino Rudolpho. Though she wouldn't give details how she knew, she indicated that Kiyone was responsible for getting Valentino's son Luigi arrested right before she came to live with you. It's likely revenge against her, and your father somehow got caught in the middle."

Tenchi let the ideas swirl around in his mind for a bit as he tried to make sense of everything. He looked back up at the two queens. "If he wants revenge on Kiyone, why does he want a duel with me, then?"

"We're not sure about that. He has a history of killing people with knives and swords, however, so he might just be looking for the challenge."

"So what happens now?"

"Well, he left instructions for you to bring Kiyone to a certain spot in space and wait for him. Nothing else."

"Well, let's go then." He got to his feet to walk back to the transport.

"Settle down, Tenchi," said Misaki. "It's not that simple. It's Romartan space, we can't take you there. These are Juraian warships after all, even if we mostly use them for travel. If we showed up in Romartan space, it would cause all kinds of problems."

"Then give me a ship, I'll go by myself."

"That's not a good idea, Tenchi. He's probably setting a trap for you, and you don't have Kiyone, either."

"I don't care about any traps, and I'd never bring Kiyone along any way. My dad would understand that, I'd never put any of those women at risk, even for him. Just give me a ship."

Funaho and Misaki traded a glance, then looked back at him. "If you're sure that's what you want, Tenchi."

"Of course it is. It's my responsibility."

"You could let the matter be handled by the authorities, Tenchi. It doesn't have to be your responsibility."

"My dad might not have time for that. I'm going."

Funaho smiled sadly. "Just like Yosho. If that's how it must be, then..."

Tenchi didn't say any more, he just walked back to the transport to take him to the normal space section of the ship.

--

Tenchi stepped into Grace's room and almost laughed at the expression on her face. He was too worked up to really laugh, but her body language told the whole story about how much she was enjoying the tests Funiki was currently inflicting upon her. When she caught sight of him, she smiled and waved.

"Stop that," said Funiki. "I can't get proper readings with you moving around like that."

"Stuff your readings. I'm fine, how many times do I have to tell you? You haven't found a single thing in any test you've run, so why would it be different this time?"

"Because the one I miss is the one that'll kill you. Now sit still."

She settled back into the bed with a look of frustration on her face. She mouthed 'help me' at Tenchi, and he finally found he couldn't stop himself from laughing, though it was short-lived.

"Fine, I'm done for now. I'll be back later." Funiki rose to his feet, and nodded at Tenchi as he walked by, "Highness."

Tenchi nodded in return, then caught Grace sticking her tongue out at Funiki from behind the man's back. He just shook his head.

"Grace, is it? Somehow that just doesn't seem quite right. You'd sure get along with Sasami, though."

She blushed as she pulled her tongue back in her mouth. "Yeah, daddy was hoping for the perfect daughter and the perfect son when he named us. He missed on both counts."

"You have a brother?"

"Yeah." She giggled. "His name is Courage, but he's a bootlicker like daddy."

Tenchi frowned, not used to people talking about their parents that way. She must have realized something by his look because she sobered immediately.

"Yeah, well, what'd you bring me?" He pulled the flower out from behind his back and handed it to her. "Ooooh, flowers. How thoughtful. Go get that cup and fill it with water." She pointed off at the counter where a small cup was standing empty. He complied, and brought it back to her so she could put the pink flower's stem inside. "Thank you, Tenchi. You didn't really need to, you know."

"I promised I would, just like I promised I'd stop back. This will be the last time, though. I've got to go do something, so I'll be leaving the ship."

Grace's eyes shot wide with surprise. "What? You're leaving? You're the only who talks to me except Dr. No-Fun-iki."

Tenchi chuckled at the name she'd given the doctor, who did seem to be a little stiff. "Yes, I have to go."

"But why? You're a prince, surely someone else can do it for you? You have servants and stuff, right?"

"No. I don't have any servants, and even if I did, they couldn't do this for me. Someone kidnapped my father, and he challenged me to a duel to get him back. Some guy named Marco Manetti."

Grace sucked in her breath as the face she'd been seeing flashed through her mind once more. "Marco Manetti. Kiyone. Oh, he's going to kill her." Grace slumped back on the bed as tears trickled out of her eyes.

Tenchi jumped forward to her side. "Grace? Are you all right?"

"I'm fine, Tenchi. Don't go, please. He's killed everyone else, and he'll kill her, too. And he'll kill y..." Grace looked up at him with the tears now running freely from her eyes.

"Are you remembering something? Please, tell me what you remember. You know this Marco Manetti?"

"Yes, Tenchi. He's the most dangerous killer in the GP files. He's been systematically hunting down every member of the undercover team Kiyone was with not long ago, killing them off one by one. She's the only one left. That's why I was on my way to Earth, I was going to warn her. The officers back at HQ weren't going to do anything, they were going to let her be killed. I had to do something, she saved my life when I was a girl."

"I see. Well, be that as it may, I still have to go. He has my father." Tenchi stood up fully. "Goodbye, Grace. I hope we'll see each other again some time."

"No... wait, he'll kill you." Grace sobbed into the sheets of her bed as Tenchi walked out the door. "Don't go..."

--

Tenchi made his way into the hangar, noticing that Grace's ruined shuttle had been moved back out of the way and was replaced by a new one. The queens were standing nearby talking to a couple of people who looked like technicians or mechanics. Misaki dismissed the two men as he approached.

"I take it this is the shuttle I'll be using?"

"Yes, Tenchi. It is indeed." Funaho beamed her usual smile at him, and stepped over to take his arm as they walked to the shuttle. "It's not the fastest one we had available, but it is the easiest to pilot. Everything can be handled automatically."

Misaki stepped up on his other side to take his free arm. "Be careful, Tenchi. We've started negotiations with the Romartans, but until they give us permission, we can't follow you in. Be careful, if any patrols should catch you, they might not be very helpful. Or nice."

Tenchi looked from one queen to the other, trying to read their expressions. Neither seemed to be terribly worried, which seemed odd considering how they'd tried to talk him out of going. "I'll be fine. Trust me."

"Of course you will, Tenchi. We believe in you."

Funaho nodded in agreement. "Yes, we certainly do."

"Well, I want to get going. Grace got her memories back. I think she knows all about Marco, when I mentioned his name, that's when her memory started coming back. You should probably talk to her, somebody at the GP isn't looking out for Kiyone. Goodbye, Queen Misaki. Goodbye, Great-grandmother."

"Goodbye, Tenchi." Funaho leaned in to kiss him on the cheek.

"Goodbye, Tenchi," said Misaki

Tenchi flinched when he saw the tears in her eyes, and braced himself. Misaki grabbed him in a great hug and squeezed until he thought his ribs would pop. When she finally let go, Tenchi caught a strange look in her eye, and turned to follow her gaze.

Walking slowly across the hangar in nothing but her hospital gown was Grace Sakumi. He'd been right, she was fairly tall for a woman, and she definitely had an attractive figure. The gown did almost nothing to hide her legs as it flapped around.

"You never let me say goodbye, Tenchi, so I had to come down and do it now."

"Erm... Sorry."

"Goodbye, Tenchi." Grace lifted up slightly on her toes and leaned in to kiss a stunned Tenchi on the lips. Then she turned and started walking away again.

He watched her silently until she disappeared from sight. He suddenly realized he'd been holding his breath in hopes she would turn around and look back one last time.

"Ahem."

Tenchi jumped, then turned guiltily to face Misaki.

"Six ladies wasn't enough for you? I'm not quite sure what to think, or what to tell my daughters and the rest."

"I... I don't know where that came from. I was just visiting her while she recovered. She was nice, and she needed someone to talk to."

"Mmmm, hmmm." Misaki lifted an eyebrow and he backed a nervous step as he saw her foot start tapping.

"I'm sure Tenchi is telling the truth, Sister. He does seem to have an impact on the ladies after all." Funaho winked at him, and Tenchi relaxed a tiny bit.

"I, uh... I don't know about that, but I never did anything to make her think there was anything between us, I swear."

Misaki looked him hard in the eye, then suddenly her face broke out into a huge smile. "Well, of course you didn't. You would never do something like that, there's no need to apologize."

Tenchi shook his head, trying to figure out what had just happened, then gave up. "I should go now. Thank you, both of you."

"You're welcome, Tenchi. The course is already laid in with the computer, so all you have to do is order it to go. There are some instructions on the terminal screen, so you can understand how to operate certain things, like the food dispenser. Don't worry, we'll make sure the King gets a message explaining why you won't be coming. This is one time where I know he will understand, he won't hold a grudge. Good luck, Tenchi." Misaki waved as he climbed into the shuttle, and Funaho did likewise.

The hatch closed behind him, and Tenchi wandered the short distance through a passage into the bridge. He strapped himself in, then waited for the signal. He felt a small lurch, then a voice sounded in the cabin.

"You're free of the ships. Wait about thirty seconds to let us get some distance, then engage the engines and autopilot."

He took a deep breath, the reality of his situation sinking in completely. He was in space now, and all by himself. He was going off to save his father by fighting a duel with one of the most dangerous killers known. The only relief he felt was the knowledge that Kiyone would be safe back on Earth, out of the hands of Marco. He didn't plan to lose this duel, no matter what. His father's life depended on it, but if he lost, Kiyone's was in danger, too.

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	19. Chapter 18: Showdown

Chapter 18: Showdown 

Yukinojo's shuttle sat suspended in space, broadcasting a signal in all directions. A few thousand miles away, another ship also hung motionlessly in space, without broadcasting its presence. This had been going on for the last few days, with nothing breaking into the monotony of the whole routine.

"What is he waiting for, any way? I thought he wanted to get his hands on Kiyone." An exasperated Ryoko was pacing around the small space offered on Ryo-Ohki's bridge.

"Unlike certain former space pirates, Marco probably doesn't have a ship of Ryo-Ohki's capabilities at his disposal." Washu looked over at her daughter from the game of cards she was playing with Mihoshi. "He's being cautious, making sure it isn't a trap. Unlike you he uses his brain before jumping into the fire." Ryoko glared back, but remained silent, so Washu turned back to the game, grimacing as she drew a card from Mihoshi's hand.

"I'm sure you're correct, Little Washu. I can't help feeling as Ryoko does that it would be nice if something would finally happen." Ayeka spoke from the other side of the bridge where she was calmly brushing Sasami's long hair. "We all love Ryo-Ohki, of course, but she's not really well suited to housing a crew of five people for an extended period of time. I do wish Ryu-Oh was ready. Mother said they might start carving her hull soon now that she's grown back to a decent size again."

At that moment, a warning light started flashing, bringing everyone's attention to the viewscreen showing the shuttle where Kiyone was waiting in space. Another craft with no markings had appeared behind the GP shuttle.

"Finally." Ryoko flew up into the air with her eyes glued to the scene before her. "Let's go Ryo..."

"Stop! We can't do anything until we know where Nobuyuki is, you numbskull." Washu materialized a fan and jumped up to swat Ryoko on the head. "We can't actively scan that ship, or he'll know we're here. The only thing we can do is follow them back to wherever it is they're going, and then rescue Nobuyuki."

"Gahhh. More waiting. I can't stand this. Fine, then, we follow them to wherever." Ryoko flopped down into the command seat which she had no need of using any more, linked directly to Ryo-Ohki as she was.

"Look, isn't that Kiyone!" Sasami pointed at the figure floating from the hatch of Yukinojo's shuttle over to the new ship.

"Looks like Marco isn't taking any chances. Now we hope that he doesn't make Kiyone leave the headband behind." Washu watched intently, checking some instrument readings. "I knew I was a genius when I stuck that locator in it."

"You put a locator in her headband? Wait a minute, you haven't put a locator on me, have you?" Ryoko glared at Washu.

"What? Of course I have. Yours is built in, though. The rest of you just have them stuck in your clothes somewhere."

"WHAT? That's really quite inappropriate, Miss Washu." Ayeka also scowled at the scientist. "In fact that could easily be considered an invasion of privacy. You have no right to do something like that, I must insist you remove them from all of us."

"Bah. Right now, I just wish I'd gotten one on Nobuyuki. Rea's changed his whole wardrobe, I can't keep up, considering how rarely he's around. And call me Little Washu, how many times do I have to say it?"

"There they go." Mihoshi pointed at the screen as the second ship disappeared.

"Okay, let's let them go where they're going, then follow them, right? Do you want to transfer over to the shuttle and bring it along Mihoshi?"

"Yes, Little Washu, I would like to do that."

"I'll go with you, Mihoshi," said Sasami.

"You'll what? I think you should stay here with us, Sasami." Ayeka held onto her sister's shoulders.

"I want to go with Mihoshi. You can't make me stay here." Sasami put on her stubborn face.

"That's all right, there's plenty of room on the shuttle for Sasami, too, as long as we don't have to travel for too long. It'll be nice having company." Mihoshi was fiddling with her control cube, causing things to appear out of nowhere.

"Yeah why don't the two of you head over, so that there's still some room here." Washu looked around in disbelief at all the items strewn about the floor.

"But...," started Ayeka.

"Ah, got it!" Mihoshi finally got the adjustments she'd been looking for, and she and Sasami disappeared.

"Little Washu! How dare you allow Sasami to go with Mihoshi. You realize she wanted to go with Mihoshi so that we couldn't leave her behind when we got there." Ayeka crossed her arms as she scowled at Washu.

"Yes, I do realize that. I've seen that look on her face before, though. I think the only way you're going to get her to stay behind is to stay behind yourself, Ayeka. That's fine with me, of course, but it's up to you."

Ayeka opened, then closed her mouth. She knew Washu was probably right, she just didn't want to consider Sasami going into a dangerous situation. She sniffed and turned away, trying to think of how she might convince Sasami to stay behind.

"We're ready to go," came Mihoshi's voice, echoing around the bridge.

"All right! Let's go, Ryo-Ohki!" Ryoko once again floated up to stare out the screen, even though there wasn't really much to see.

--

Kiyone squirmed angrily in her handcuffs, trying to find any way she might get out of them. She was holding down her humiliation at being restrained with her own GP equipment, but she'd known it was unavoidable. She was more concerned at the moment with whether she would be killed before being able to do anything. She'd known going in that she was likely to be in a near-helpless state, but the fact that she'd expected it wasn't helping her temper any.

Being face-to-face with Marco had been another factor in her current temperament. She was forced to admit to herself that he was an intimidating presence, and she didn't get intimidated. He was just so calm, it was almost creepy. No gloating, no roughing her around, just short and quick instructions, then he put her aside and got back to business as if she was insignificant.

That galled the most, of course. He wasn't concerned about her in the slightest, he'd thrown her into a room on the side, then left, not even bothering to lock her in. He was almost daring her to do something. She intended to oblige, eventually, but she would prefer having her hands free when she did. Regardless, she couldn't do anything until she knew where Nobuyuki was, and that he would be safe in the event she did try anything.

She scanned the room, looking for anything that might be of use, but the room was essentially empty except for the bench she was currently sitting on. That meant moving about to look for anything of use, and that could get her into trouble. She decided to wait for the moment and see how things worked out once they arrived at his hideout.

"Nice plan, Kiyone..." she whispered to herself, settling back in hopes of finding a more comfortable position.

--

Tenchi watched the planet approaching from his seat on the side of the small transport's bridge. He'd ended up waiting for much longer than he wanted, then finally this vessel had appeared with orders to transfer over, bringing only his sword along. He'd complied, but frustration was growing while he waited to actually face the man who had his father. Whoever was piloting this ship, they didn't know, or were unwilling to share, any information regarding the situation.

They screamed through the atmosphere, bucking the ship a tiny bit. They slowed down and Tenchi watched with growing nervousness as they neared the surface and a large mansion appeared on the horizon. They slowed even more as they approached, and it was clear the mansion was their final destination.

Gardens and fountains dotted the nearby property, a swimming pool was tucked up against a smaller building away from the main house, and a tall, black, metal fence ran around the enormous grounds. They flew past the mansion, and finally came to rest in an open area near the edge of the property where a few other craft were located. The pilot indicated Tenchi should get out, so he complied, blinking when the sunlight hit his face.

Tenchi glanced around once he was on the ground, and quickly noticed the two armed men approaching him. One motioned him over so he walked in their direction. The two fell into step behind him, leaving a small gap so they were just out of reach. Tenchi didn't care, he wasn't planning to do anything until he saw his father.

They directed him back, not towards the mansion, but actually to a smaller building set off to the side. Tenchi shrugged and just walked where they wanted him to, not really caring where it was.

They took him inside and into a large room that looked like a gymnasium of some kind. Exercise equipment was spread here and there near the outsides of the gym, and in the middle was a large open wooden floor which seemed to be heavily-trafficked. He waited patiently for a bit, then turned to the two guards only to realize they had disappeared after bringing him in. That wasn't terribly surprising in itself. If this Marco person wanted a duel, he might not want anyone around who could interfere. Assuming it was a legitimate duel he was looking for, that was.

The sound of a door opening swung his attention back around to the front of the room. A tall man dressed in a well-tailored suit was walking towards him.

"Tenchi Masaki, I presume?"

"Yes. You're Marco, then?"

"Indeed. Welcome to my training hall."

"Where's my father?"

"He's fine, I'll bring him out shortly. I just wanted to make sure you weren't planning any tricks first. Please remove the coat, if you don't mind?"

Tenchi removed the jacket he'd been wearing, dropping the hilt from the Master Key into his hand.

"Ah, thank you. That's an energy sword, then? Excellent. I've never gotten a chance to duel with one of them yet. I'm always forced to kill people as quickly and quietly as possible, and they just don't work for that. Excuse me a moment, I'll be right back."

Marco moved back through the door he'd previously entered from, and Tenchi unconsciously took a few steps in that direction before catching himself. He couldn't afford to do anything right now to provoke the man.Only a short time passed before Marco reemerged, dragging two people behind him.

"Dad! Kiyone?" Tenchi took a couple more steps forward, then stopped at the sight of the sword hilt pointed at his father. If Marco turned it on, it would kill Nobuyuki instantly.

"Yes. It was an unexpected bonus. I of course hoped you would bring the woman to me, but instead she did so herself. I'm sure she had plans in mind to escape and rescue Nobuyuki. Foolish, but brave, I suppose. My boss will definitely enjoy having her in his hands. He doesn't know she's here, yet, but when I hand her over, he'll be very pleased."

Tenchi could see the anger on Kiyone's face, and hoped she wouldn't do something rash. His father on the other hand looked pretty calm. "Are you two all right?"

"Fine, Tenchi," said Kiyone. "They haven't actually been too bad to me, except for the handcuffs."

"I'm all right, son," answered Nobuyuki. "Just a little bump from when they took me, that's all."

Tenchi nodded, they seemed to be telling the truth. He turned back to Marco. "So, what's the plan, then?"

Marco laughed, then started removing his suit jacket. "We duel of course. If you win, you get to leave, if not, well, you all die. Simple, really."

"No rules?"

"Nope. You and I try and kill each other. Anything goes. If you put any restrictions in place, it's not a real fight, you don't know who was truly the best." Marco was pulling the cuff links out of his shirt, and unbuttoning it to give himself a freer range of motion.

"Don't do it, Tenchi," cried Kiyone. "He can't be trusted. Just go bring in the GP, don't worry about us."

Tenchi just shook his head and watched in silence, then decided he might as well loosen up a bit. Ignoring the watchful eye of Marco, he stretched momentarily, then slid into a basic kata to get his muscles into the proper feeling. He did not ignite Tenchi-ken, however.

Marco finished rolling up his sleeves, and following Tenchi's example he began to loosen up as well. He never took his eyes from Tenchi, however, the boy was following an unusual pattern with his warmup kata. Marco had never seen anyone practicing that particular style before, and the thought made him even more excited. The boy was skilled, and he practiced an unusual style. This was the greatest test for his skills Marco was likely to ever get.

Tenchi finished up and dropped into a relaxed stance, watching Marco finish his own. It didn't look familiar, but Tenchi had never practiced with anyone but his grandfather, and for a very short time Ryoko. Yosho had pointed out a few of the techniques that were common to most styles, and he'd even demonstrated a few that were a little more specific to certain populations or regions. Marco's definitely had some of the common elements, but there were some he didn't recognize, either.

Marco finished up as well, and then turned to the two hostages. "If either of you interfere in any way, I will kill you, rest assured. Your lives depend on Tenchi defeating me solely." He turned back to Tenchi. "And you, any attempt to rescue them during our match will likewise lead to their deaths. Let's keep it between you and me, okay?"

Tenchi narrowed his eyes a bit and nodded. Marco finally ignited his energy sword, so Tenchi did the same. He moved with Marco so that they were facing each other from across the center of the room. Tenchi bowed to Marco, causing the man to laugh, then he brought his sword into an overhead ready position. Marco brought his to the ready in front of his body. Tenchi watched Marco carefully, waiting for the man to move, and in a blur, Marco suddenly leaped forward to engage Tenchi with a crash of swords.

--

Mihoshi was watching her assigned direction when Ryoko materialized in front of the group of women, causing Mihoshi to squeak. She received dirty looks from everyone, and started chewing her lips in shame.

"Nobody's here. I don't get it. There ought to be someone on guard." Ryoko hovered, her eyes continuing to scan around the grounds.

"Well, Kiyone's in that building, unless her headband got left behind." Washu put away her portable locator. "If nobody's here, I guess we should go in."

"Now you're talking. Let's go." Ryoko started floating towards the building.

"Please stay here, Sasami. This will be dangerous." Ayeka pleaded with Sasami once more, her younger sister had stubbornly refused to remain behind.

"I'm going Ayeka. I'm not a little kid any more." Sasami started stalking quickly after Ryoko.

"Told you," said Washu to Ayeka, then followed along as well.

Ayeka followed along, ready to throw a force field around her sister in a heartbeat should the need arise.

Mihoshi watched everyone, then realized she was being left behind, and squeaked, "Wait for me."

--

Valentino Rudolpho looked over the array of men before him. He'd gathered together his most trustworthy bosses and had each bring along a collection of men they trusted. All told it was around fifty people, more than enough to handle the traitor Marco.

"Is everyone ready? Remember, I want Marco and the woman alive. The other two I don't care about. Kill them, it's simpler."

Everyone nodded, and he dismissed them to their assigned tasks. There was only one good way into the gymnasium, though you could slip people in a couple other places if necessary. Marco would be occupied, though, so Rudolpho wasn't worried about being discovered.

He marched his men over to the main entrance to the gym, and waited for a few to go in and make sure it was clear. When nothing happened, he moved in with the rest of his men. They were all carrying guns, and Marco never used one. It would be over quickly.

--

Ryoko was leading the group down the hall from the small access door they'd used when she heard something. She held up her hand, and everyone fell still.

"He'll be in the main gym, having his stupid duel. Take your men and spread out. Move in on my signal."

The voice carried back to where the women were arrayed, and they looked at each other momentarily. "They're all in here," said Washu. "That's why there weren't any guards. If they all go in with guns, Tenchi's sure to get hurt, and Nobuyuki and Kiyone wouldn't have a chance."

"So, we take them all out first," answered Ryoko. "Fine by me. What's the plan?"

"Um, everyone...," started Mihoshi.

"Not now, blondie. We need to come up with a plan." Ryoko huddled with Ayeka and Washu.

"But...," Mihoshi continued.

"What is it Mihoshi? Shouldn't you be helping us with the plan?" Ayeka turned angrily to face the GP detective.

"Sasami..."

Everyone looked to where Mihoshi was looking, and their breaths all gasped out as they saw Sasami approaching the nearest of a small group of armed men from behind.

"Oh crap! Gotta go now!" Ryoko took off, flying full speed in that direction, and the others followed as fast as they could.

"Oh, Sasami...," whimpered Ayeka, getting ready to throw up a force field as soon as she thought she could get one around Sasami to protect the girl.

Sasami walked as quietly as possible up to the half dozen armed men. When she got there, she glanced where they were looking, but couldn't see anything. Not wanting to wait, she said, "Where's Tenchi?"

The men jumped in their places, then turned to look at her. "Well, lookie what we have here," said one of them. "A pretty young thing looking for her boyfriend. What say we show her what real men are like?" Grins broke out on their faces as they all looked her up and down.

Sasami blushed a little bit, then her face hardened. "Where's Tenchi?"

"Oooh, she's getting mad. I'm scared boys." The talker laughed and the rest joined in. "Get her."

Sasami blocked the first man's grab, and dropped him with a kick to his groin. She immediately swung around, planting her other foot in another's stomach. She came smoothly up out of that kick and lifted a third off his feet with an uppercut. The fourth dropped from a combination of short punches to his stomach and chin, and the fifth to a sharp roundhouse kick that sent him flying into the wall. She turned back to the man who'd been speaking before. "Where's Tenchi?"

He backed away, fear evident in his eyes. He made to run, but she grabbed him and threw him against the wall. His eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed to the ground. Looking at them to make sure they were all disabled, she turned and started down the hall to where she heard the sounds of more people talking.

"Whoah, hold on there, Sasami." Ryoko grabbed onto Sasami, and stopped her from moving. "Nice work, but next time wait for us."

"Oh, Ryoko. We've got to go, Tenchi's in trouble."

"Yeah, we know. Just wait for the rest of us, okay?"

Washu and Mihoshi were wandering around through the pile of bodies, making sure none of them were a danger, while Ayeka came flying in to grab Sasami in a hug. She stepped back and checked Sasami for any injuries. Relief flooded her face when she didn't find any, then anger filled her visage. "Don't ever do that again, Sasami! We were all scared witless for you."

"It's okay, Ayeka. I can take care of myself. Let's go, we can't waste time when Tenchi's in trouble." She pulled out of Ayeka's grasp and started moving again.

"But..." started Ayeka.

"Forget it, princess. Best thing to do now is stick with her so she's not taking on everyone by herself." Ryoko flew up to pace Sasami, and Ayeka stared after for them momentarily. When Washu and Mihoshi walked by, she blinked, then started moving herself.

"Oh, Sasami...," whispered Ayeka.

--

Tenchi was thrown backwards again, skidding on the floor until he stopped. Marco was incredibly strong. His grandfather used speed, not this amount of force.

Tenchi parried and dodged, only blocking when absolutely necessary. The shock to his arms was extreme, resisting blows with such tremendous force. So far he hadn't managed an offensive of any significance, he was so caught up in avoiding Marco's blows.

He wasn't terribly concerned yet, he'd realized he was much faster than Marco early on, but being forced to dodge and parry everything had left him no opportunities to counterattack so far. He could see the frustration rising in Marco's face, though, and knew the assassin was going to lose his cool soon.

Sure enough, after Tenchi avoided another series of slashes and lunges, Marco stepped back and growled, "Are you going to fight, boy? I wanted a duel, not a workout session."

Tenchi narrowed his eyes, and given the break in Marco's offensive, he stepped forward to finally launch an offensive. He flicked his blade in quick slashes, knowing Marco would be unable to block all of them. His sword got through again and again, only inflicting minor wounds each time. None of them were significant by themselves, but if it continued Marco would be finished due to blood loss.

Marco growled again, and finally forced his way back onto the offensive, absorbing a deep gash in his side to do so. His eyes were squinted in fury, and he threw powerful overhand blows in rapid succession, finally managing to knock Tenchi's sword down and carried his blow through into the boy's shoulder.

"Aahh!" Tenchi cried, and stepped back, waving his sword defensively.

"Tenchi!" cried Kiyone and Nobuyuki.

Tenchi waved off the pain and returned himself to a ready position, his sword now held in only his right hand as his left hung useless at his side. Blocking would now be impossible without both his arms, he had no choice but to take the attack back to Marco, and lunged forward to do so.

Tenchi moved through some of the simplest patterns his grandfather had taught him, and he could see the confusion growing on Marco's face as he attempted to parry attacks coming with such speed they were barely visible. Finally Tenchi got in the strike he wanted, and his blade slashed through the wrist of Marco's right arm, nearly cutting his hand off. Marco's sword fell to the ground, taking Tenchi's gaze with it so that he missed the punch Marco was throwing until it crashed into his jaw, sending him flying backwards.

He held on tight to his sword, knowing that to lose it would likely mean his life, but when he stopped sliding and looked up, Marco hadn't moved from his previous spot. In fact he was grinning evilly. Then Tenchi saw the gun in his hand pointed at his father. He heard a clinking sound beside him, and noticed the coin Kiyone had given him as a gift rolling to a rest beside him.

"Sorry, boy. No rules, remember? You're better than me, I admit it. I didn't think I'd ever meet my match, but you're it. Too bad you play for the wrong side. Toss your sword aside, or your father dies."

Marco raised his gun to point it directly at his father's head, and Nobuyuki flinched reflexively. "Wait!" Tenchi closed down Tenchi-ken, and lowered it to the floor.

Marco shook his head. "Stupid. If you'd held onto it, you might have still had a chance. Now you all die." He turned to look down the barrel of his gun at Nobuyuki and pulled the trigger.

Kiyone had already been swinging into motion as Marco started his last words and threw her body into Nobuyuki's, knocking him flying.

Tenchi made the move he'd planned from the second he dropped his sword, flinging the coin from Kiyone he'd secretly picked up when he put the sword down, with all his might at Marco's head. The assassin never saw it coming, and it thumped him in the temple, knocking the assassin backwards as the gun went off.

(KAPOW)

Kiyone screamed as the blast went through her thigh, and rolled across the floor whimpering. Nobuyuki rolled along with her, then came to his feet in a roar when he finally stopped. He threw himself into the dazed assassin, bowling him over.

Tenchi had already grabbed Tenchi-ken once more, and was running across the floor in a blur. The sword blazed to life as he ran and it flashed forward towards Marco's throat.

The assassin's eyes widened as he saw the blade coming down, and he reflexively started turning away, knowing it would do him no good. After a few seconds, he realized he was still breathing, and opened his eyes to the sight of the blade holding steady under his chin.

"Enough. It's over... you lose." Tenchi's breath heaved as he stood over Marco. He watched carefully as his father rolled away from the assassin, but Marco never made a move. "The key to Kiyone's handcuffs. Where is it?"

"My jacket pocket."

"Go help her dad."

"Okay, Tenchi." Nobuyuki moved to do so, and quickly located the key. He approached Kiyone who had now passed out, and carefully unlocked the handcuffs. He checked her pulse, and gave a thumbs-up to Tenchi.

"Okay, bring them back, and put them on Marco."

Nobuyuki looked at his son momentarily, then again followed directions, putting the assassin's arms into the cuffs. He had to roll the assassin onto his stomach and lever his arms back painfully to do so due to the man's muscle. Marco grunted in pain a few times during the process, but never protested.

Tenchi collapsed to the ground exhausted when his father finally finished with Marco. His father came over to help him to his feet, and they made there way over to Kiyone to check on her more carefully.

"Well, well, this has been interesting."

Their heads snapped around at the sound of the new voice. Standing before them with a gun in his hands was an older man with gray hair, immaculately dressed.

"You might not know me, I'm Valentino Rudolpho. Marco used to work for me, before he decided to put his own interests before mine. It was nice of you to take care of the problem for me. I'm sure he would have killed some of my men when we took him, but now that won't happen. I have to say, that was very impressive. I never thought I'd see Marco defeated in a sword fight."

Tenchi's eyes narrowed, and he shifted himself in front of Kiyone.

"Oh, very noble, young man. Futile, of course, but quite charming. Enough of this. Let's go, men, go get him." Rudolpho waved his arm, and waited for his men to move forward and surround the group. After a moment, his eyes narrowed in puzzlement, and his heart froze at the sight of the smile breaking out on Tenchi's face.

He turned around to see a group of women he did not know dragging a few of his unconscious men into the room. "Wh-who are you?"

Ryoko dumped the body she'd had by the collar on the ground in front of him, and just opened her mouth in a wicked grin. Ayeka, Mihoshi, and Sasami all just looked at him coldly, while Washu stepped past them to go and check on Kiyone.

"You picked on the wrong family, Mr. Rudolpho. These ladies are with me." Tenchi got to his feet to walk towards the crime lord. Rudolpho cringed before him, dropping his gun in fright.

"Wait! What do you want? I can give you anything." Rudolpho cringed away from Tenchi. "Money, women, name it. Better yet, come work for me. You beat Marco, I could use someone like you. All you have to do is send these ladies away and you can have anything you want. Please, just tell me."

Tenchi looked coldly at the man, then turned to Mihoshi. "Is this man wanted by the Galaxy Police, too?"

"Ummm... yes, yes he is."

Everyone waited for a moment, looking at Mihoshi. As the silence grew longer, Washu finally gave up and said, "Well? Are you going to arrest him?"

"I'm still waiting to hear Tenchi's answer."

"Huh?" Tenchi looked at her quizzically.

"You know, what you want. I'm waiting to hear your answer to Mr. Rudolpho."

Tenchi shook his head and approached Mihoshi, taking her hand in his. "I don't want anything from him, Mihoshi. He can keep whatever he's got, and you can arrest him, then we can all go home together. Okay?"

"Oh. Okay then. I mean, I was hoping that would be your answer, but I didn't know that for sure. Sometimes people do things you don't expect them to. Like when Kiyone..."

Tenchi lifted her hand up and pressed it against her lips. Laughing, he said, "Just go arrest him, okay?"

"Right. Mr. Rudolpho. You have the right..."

Tenchi shook his head as he turned to look back at the rest of the women, every one of them with a beaming smile on their face. He smiled tiredly in return. "So, what brings all of you here, then? Or do I even need to ask?"

"We heard some criminal was making his lair hereabouts, and you know Mihoshi, she just had to come and arrest the criminal..." Washu laughed with everyone else when Mihoshi put the handcuffs on Rudolpho.

"Right. Well then, come here, all of you." Tenchi opened his arms, and all the girls ran to embrace him in a hug.

Mihoshi danced around the outside trying to find a way in to Tenchi. "No fair, I was putting handcuffs on the criminal. I want a hug, too."

Tenchi laughed and rearranged all the arms enough for Mihoshi to squeeze in as well. "Thanks, everyone. I'm glad you're all here, and I guess I should thank you for saving me."

"Well, now that I've saved your life, I guess you owe me, then? I've got a few things in mind you can do to repay the favor..." Washu leered at him.

"Hey, knock it off, Mom. We're all here too, you know." Ryoko glared at Washu, only causing the scientist to laugh harder.

"I was so worried about you, Tenchi." Sasami did her best to bury her head in his chest amidst the jumble.

"It's okay, now, Sasami. I'm all right." Tenchi patted her head as best he could.

"You know, could we break this up now, girls, I just realized I have someone who I really need to give a hug."

They finally dropped off of him, all of them looking nervously at the unconscious Kiyone on the ground. A collective sigh of relief went out when he stepped past her to embrace his father who'd been standing and watching the whole time.

"I'm sorry, dad. I wish you wouldn't have gotten mixed up in this."

"That's all right son. These things happen."

"Um... no they don't."

"Well, okay, so they don't. You did what needed to be done and it worked out in the end though. That's what really matters. Thanks for coming for me, Tenchi. I love you."

"I love you too, dad."

(SNIFF, SNIFF)

The two of them turned to stare at the collection of sobbing women watching them, their tears making a small puddle on the ground. Everyone laughed and got to work sorting out what to do.

Washu materialized a hoverstretcher to carry Kiyone. She then proceeded to anesthetize her leg before bringing her back to consciousness. Mihoshi herded Rudolpho and Marco before her, reading them their rights once more. Tenchi went looking for the coin he'd thrown at Marco, and Ryoko signaled Ryo-Ohki to come pick them up.

Ayeka turned to Sasami and said, "Well, now that it's all over, how do you feel?"

"Pretty good," answered Sasami. "I was never really frightened, at least not for myself. All I could think about was getting to Tenchi in time to make sure he was okay."

"Yes, well, you did very well today. We must tell mother of course, and I think it might be time for you to get your own battle armor. I think you earned it today."

"You mean it? Oh, thank you, Ayeka." Sasami hugged her elder sister tightly.

Tenchi stooped to pick up the ancient coin, thankful it hadn't been damaged at all. He flipped it in the air once, catching it on the way up, then turned to go find Kiyone. He was relieved to see her awake again, apparently Washu had done something to fix her up a little bit.

"Well, I guess I need to thank you twice, Kiyone. Once for giving me the lucky coin that may have saved the day, and once for protecting my father and getting hurt badly in the process."

Kiyone blushed slightly at the look of tenderness in his eyes. "You're welcome, Tenchi. It was nothing really. Any GP officer would have done the same."

"I'm not so sure about that. Here, I owe you this, though." Tenchi leaned over to give her a hug, since she'd missed out on the group one earlier.

Her face turned bright red as she saw the looks of envy on everyone else's faces, but she didn't let go until he did. "Can we get out of here now?"

"Yeah, it seems like we ought to get going, doesn't it?"

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it.


	20. Epilogue: Home

Epilogue: Home 

The sounds of women scurrying about made Tenchi smile as he relaxed on the couch. He was home again, the queens had somehow managed to convince their husband to let him postpone his trip to Jurai by a month. Misaki had muttered something about three hundred years, but he hadn't caught exactly what she meant.

They'd only been gone for a few days, but it felt like ages ago that he'd wondered when he would ever make it back again. He wished he could forget about all of it, but he knew those few days would stay with him for a while.

He lifted his cup of tea only to find it was empty. He was about to get up, when Sasami came over and poured some more into his cup. "Thanks, Sasami."

"You're welcome." She flitted back into the kitchen, humming merrily to herself.

He smiled, surprised by how much importance she put on receiving her own set of battle armor. The queens, or Misaki at any rate, had obviously been planning for the possibility, since they'd had it ready when they picked up all of the house members on their way back from Romartan space. Sasami had spent the entire trip back to Earth showing it off to everyone she could find.

He admitted that she looked pretty fierce that way, with the markings on her face, and the flowing bodysuit. When she screwed up her face to give him her best tough look, though, he'd collapsed to the floor laughing. She'd ignored him from that point on, but once they got back home, she'd returned to her normal self.

Ryoko was loafing as usual, but she occasionally dropped down one of the gems she'd created for Ryo-Ohki to play with. Kiyone made note of each, marking it into an inventory book she'd created for the purpose of trying to decide when her first trip to Kurashiki to open the store would be.

Mihoshi and Kiyone had turned in Valentino Rudolpho and Marco Manetti to great acclaim within the GP. An investigation was already underway against their former superior officers, and enough evidence had already been found to have the two stripped of their rank. Sakai and Watanabe found themselves doing maintenance on the equipment used by the GP secretarial pool, taking orders from the women they'd previously harassed.

Their normal superior officer, Section Chief Nobeyama, had been recalled to duty early from his vacation, due to the demotions of Sakai and Watanabe. From the accounts Kiyone had heard, he was himself trying to turn down a promotion so he could remain section chief for this area of space. He had hinted that promotions were likely for Mihoshi and Kiyone, but so far nothing had come through. Both had turned down his request to transfer them back to HQ, maintaining they were more suited to patrolling this part of space than manning a desk.

Ayeka had spent quite a bit of time explaining to her mother how it was that Sasami had managed to go along on the raid against the Rudolphos. In the end she escaped her mother's wrath by pointing out how Sasami had singlehandedly subdued half of the fifty or so gangsters they'd gone up against. Misaki had been so proud of her youngest daughter that she'd forgotten she was angry with her oldest.

The queens had returned with them to Earth, saying their vacation had been interrupted the last time. Everyone knew they were doing so to punish the King somehow, but the silence regarding the matter was never broken.

Nobuyuki had returned home to a deliriously happy Rea, after promising he would install the security device Washu had whipped up for him. One look at it had caused him to discard it in a pile of trash next to Tenchi's house before he went home.

Washu had disappeared into her lab soon after returning, and had only ventured out a few times for meals. She hadn't said anything about what she was working on, but that didn't disturb anyone since it was normal behavior for her.

Ryo-Ohki was spending more time as an adult now than ever before. Apparently something had made her decide that it was time, so she and Sasami had spent a few hours outside that afternoon practicing walking. She had managed to walk the length of the house without falling at one point during their session.

His grandfather had stopped in to chat about what happened, and Tenchi had been quite proud of himself when Yosho had complimented him before leaving. He'd hinted that Tenchi still had much to learn, of course, but had postponed the resumption of practice until tomorrow.

The urge to actually do anything had been strangely absent for Tenchi today. He'd slept in, not feeling like getting up to work in the fields, and without practice, he'd spent much of the day napping and catching up on the news. He had resolved to start his routine again tomorrow, since the carrots were likely in serious need of tending, but he felt he'd earned the day off and enjoyed himself.

Chores around the house had mostly been put off by everyone as a result. Everyone had tried to spend time around him during the day, even Washu had chatted with the group for an hour or so at one point before disappearing back into her lab with a considering look on her face.

All that brought him back to now, as he stopped reminiscing and sipped some more tea. He looked back over his shoulder as Sasami announced dinner was ready, and slowly made his way over to sit down between Ayeka and Ryoko. Washu appeared after Kiyone stuck her head inside the lab door to call for her, and the grin on her face was a little disconcerting. He remained silent, however, not willing to risk breaking the pleasant atmosphere currently resounding through the house. Washu continued to leer at him as they waited for the queens to arrive, and finally Ryoko couldn't take it any more.

"Get off it, mother. Whatever you're thinking about Tenchi right now, we don't want to hear about it."

"Why, Little Ryoko. Whatever do you mean?" Washu batted her eyes innocently.

"Look, just cause it's your turn again tomorrow, doesn't mean we all want to be subjected to your crazy games. Knock it off."

"Actually, Ryoko," said Misaki as she and Funaho came down the stairs, "tomorrow will be our day. Washu will have to wait one day longer before her turn comes again."

"WHAT?" screamed everyone together.

"Have you noticed, sister, a tendency in this family to all yell 'what' at the same time?" Funaho asked.

"Now that you mention it, it does seem to be a regular occurrence around here. That is rather odd, isn't it."

"Indeed."

"Ah, what exactly do you mean by 'your day', great-grandma?" Tenchi asked nervously.

"Why, just that. Tomorrow will be our day to monopolize your time, of course."

"Um... is that all?"

"Why, Tenchi, are you trying to wriggle out of giving me a kiss?" asked Misaki seductively.

"MOTHER!" cried Ayeka and Sasami.

"I, uh... I really don't think that's a good idea," whimpered Tenchi.

"No? And after everything that happened aboard our ship just before you headed out? Why, I just assumed that if Gr..." Misaki broke off as Tenchi's face turned white.

"OK! Tomorrow is your day." Tenchi slumped onto the table, defeated.

"Of course it is, dear. We already told you that." Funaho's face was beaming her usual smile again.

Everyone else was looking suspiciously between the queens and Tenchi, but it quickly became obvious that no more answers were forthcoming. When the silence lingered long enough, Sasami finally ordered everyone to start eating.

Not much was said, various chitchat mostly conducted between the queens. Washu muttered frequently about spending the entire day planning her compensation for saving Tenchi's life, but everyone ignored her. When the meal was finally finished, Tenchi escaped out to the porch to sit in silence looking out at the lake.

Kiyone wandered past, looking curiously at her beeping communicator watch, and he chuckled when she disappeared into subspace to apparently receive a message of some kind. He watched with curiosity until she appeared again and nodded when she arrived on the shore of the lake, completely dry. It was definitely a Mihoshi thing, then.

She walked back up to the house and looked curiously at the chuckling Tenchi. She hadn't done anything amusing that she could think of, but it was nice to see him smiling, regardless. "Um, Tenchi?"

"Yes?"

"I just got a message from a friend of mine. She works for the GP, though she's actually just a secretary. She asked if she could come visit, she apparently has a lot of vacation built up that she needs to use, and she recently had a pretty rough experience of some kind. She thought it would be fun to get away, but still have a friend around, too, so she thought of me I guess. I hope you don't mind, I told her it should be fine. I think we should be able to squeeze her in our room, otherwise she said she wouldn't mind sleeping on your couch. Um, was that okay, you don't look very good."

"No, that's fine Kiyone, I don't mind. What's her name if I could ask?"

"Oh, right. Grace Sakumi. Thanks, Tenchi." Kiyone disappeared back into the house.

He sighed as he looked back at the lake, wondering how he could handle this situation. He didn't get a chance to start thinking about it before Sasami poked her head out of the door. "Tenchi. I was wondering if you could start teaching me how to use a sword? I mean, I know Yosho could teach me, but I thought maybe you could, too, so brother doesn't have to slow down for a beginner."

Tenchi mulled the request for a moment, trying to figure how he could fit it into his schedule. Maybe if he trimmed a little of his time in the fields, he could teach her for a short while before she had to prepare lunch. "Um, yeah, I suppose I could. Sure, Sasami."

"Great! Thanks, Tenchi."

She popped back into the house, but he could still hear her voice inside saying, "Tenchi's going to show me how to use his sword."

He started to call out a clarification, but was cut short by the arrival of Ayeka who had a stern look on her face as she watched her sister. It disappeared when she turned to Tenchi.

"I certainly hope that was meant to mean you would be giving her lessons in swordsmanship much like Yosho is doing for you?"

"Of course it was."

"I see. Well, then, I would like to protest this ridiculous idea of Ryoko's."

"Huh?"

"It's not my idea, it's Ryo-Ohki's." Ryoko glared at Ayeka as she appeared on the porch. "I'm just the translator. If you don't like it, take it up with the furball." Ryoko turned away from Ayeka and looked at Tenchi. "Apparently Ryo-Ohki," Ryoko hauled the cabbit out from behind her back, "would like to have her own day with you, Tenchi. Something to do with 'catching ice' but she was mumbling when she said it."

"Sure, that seems fair. Ryo-Ohki lives here too, I suppose I ought to spend some more time getting to know her. I wonder if Washu can make me up a translator, so I can actually understand her?"

"Whatever. Come on furball. Happy, now?"

"Miya!"

"Bah. Cabbits are weird. Come on."

"Well, I suppose... it does seem fair to allow Ryo-Ohki a day, since she does live here." Ayeka crossed her arms as her face got stormy. "Mother, however, is a totally different story. You can't seriously expect us to stand by while she makes goo-goo eyes at you in front of us, do you?"

"Goo-goo eyes? That sounds like fun."

Ayeka jumped guiltily as her mother walked out onto the porch with a bundle of clothes in her arms. Funaho appeared behind her, and they both raised eyebrows waiting for Ayeka to continue.

"Well, that is... You're a married woman, after all, you shouldn't be playing games with poor Tenchi's emotions like that." Ayeka floundered, trying to think of anything to sway them.

"I'm currently on hiatus from my marriage, actually. I've given the King three hundred years to consider the error of his ways during these last few weeks. You can't really expect me to go lonely that whole time, can you?"

"Ah... three hundred years... lonely..."

"There, there, dear. That's why your Aunt Funaho is sharing my day. You didn't really think I would do more than 'make goo-goo eyes' at Tenchi, did you?"

"Yep," smiled Funaho. "We just want to go out on a date with a handsome boy, that's all. It's been so long since I went on a date, and I don't believe your mother ever got to go on one. See, it's all very innocent, isn't it?"

"Um, certainly, Aunt Funaho. If you'll excuse me, I believe I have some things I should do..." Ayeka hurried back inside, her mother's laughter trailing behind her.

"Now then, Tenchi, which dress do you think I should wear tomorrow? This one?" Misaki held up the dress on top of her pile of clothes. It fell down from her hands to reveal a low-cut full-length red dress with a slit up the left side that would probably reach her hip. "Or this one?" Funaho held the other dress, which revealed itself as a strapless dark blue dress which would likely not make it to her knees.

Tenchi pulled his mouth closed, then waved at the dress Misaki was holding, not caring either way beyond knowing he was going to be very uncomfortable tomorrow.

"Oooh, the red one. Good choice. I'll see you tomorrow, Tenchi." Misaki disappeared back into the house and Funaho trailed behind her with a parting wink for him.

He groaned and once again turned to look at the lake, wishing for a little peace. He didn't even see Mihoshi until she was in a pile on top of him. "Ow. Mihoshi?"

"I'm so sorry, Tenchi," she cried as she climbed up off of him. "I was just going to come and invite you to join us while we watch that new Wasoonti soap opera. It's supposed to be really good, everyone's getting ready, even Washu."

"Uh, sure, Mihoshi. Give me just a minute, I'll be in shortly."

"Oh, goody. Don't be late."

He watched her bound back inside and took deep breaths, counting to ten. He rose to his feet, taking one last look out over the lake, and whispered to himself, "I should have taken the money."

--

Comments and Criticism definitely wanted. It's hard to improve without it. Send anything to


	21. Acknowledgments and other strange musing...

Acknowledgments: 

First things first, many thanks to Plug for a long ago shot of encouragement which may have been the reason I actually continued working on it during a stretch when my motivation was waning. Many thanks also to him for proofing this whole thing. I appreciate it greatly!

Many thanks also to True Sheol for pointing me down the path which led to a better story, and for some early proofing and idea refinement!

Thanks also to Mayhem for some help defining some story ideas!

Special thanks to the people at C&C and the AFC for providing an environment allowing me to explore my limited knowledge of Tenchi lore and get suggestions along the way.

Author's Notes:

Well, what can I say, this has been a long time in the making. I'm finally done! Wake me in a year...

Thanks to everyone for encouragement along the way, and thanks to anyone who's made it far enough to read the whole thing! Apologies to all of you who may have read the first 8-10 chapters I had posted a year ago who were forced to wait this past year for me to actually get it finished.

Now that I'm done, a few things I feel compelled to say. This story should in no way be considered as condoning the notion of a "harem" ending for Tenchi's "love life." It's nothing more than a response to the numerous pieces of fic I've read where Tenchi chooses one of the girls, and the others almost invariably get short shrift to the extent that they were put aside as if they never really cared. It was terribly important to me to try and write a story which acknowledges all the girls do have feelings for him, though Kiyone was really just an add-on when I decided to make the bad guys criminals from the past of an old partner of Mihoshi. I have my favorite, just like everyone else, but the story wasn't a tool to make him choose her.

In case you couldn't guess, I essentially took one of the aspects of Tenchi which appealed to me, namely Tenchi's struggle to have a simple life when everything seems to conspire to complicate it, and amplified it as much as I thought I could get away with. I think the story got away from me a few times, but all in all it's pretty much what I was shooting for.

The criminals developed from a question I've had for quite a while now, that being "Why is Japanese culture such a small percentage of the earth's population if the earth is a Juraian colony world?" Eventually I decided on Earth being sort of a melting pot society for the galaxy, having bounced around from one place's control to another's over time. Thus, once I decided my villains would be criminals, it eventually grew out to be the mafia who come from the area which used to be the heart of the Roman Empire. In the end, Romartans, a former galactic power. I couldn't decide on a good way to really explore that idea in the story, though, so I left most of the background out in the end.

Strange how things happen sometimes. A simple idea turned into a bigger idea, and before I knew it I decided to try and write a story just for the sake of trying to write a story. This was certainly not something that I expected to ever be doing, growing up despising English classes. Thank goodness for a few people with the patience to point out how truly lacking some of my initial writing was.

That's that. I'm a first time and maybe last time author who had a blast. Thanks for reading!

- ericchri


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